Supreme Court to rule on D.C. gun ban

By Gary Emerling

March 17, 2008

The District of Columbia’s fight to preserve its nearly 32-year-old ban on handguns before the U.S. Supreme Court has drawn nationwide attention as a bellwether vote on the limits of gun control.

“Regardless of who wins and loses, the crucial thing is really going to be what [the justices] are going to say about the Second Amendment,” said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Combat Gun Violence. “It will set the ground rules for analyzing almost every gun law in the country for years to come.”

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The case will mark the first time in about 70 years that the Supreme Court has examined the Second Amendment, which states: “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

The rarity of the case and the potential consequences of the ruling account for the widespread attention it has received: Nearly 70 amicus briefs have been filed on behalf of more than 320 members of Congress, 36 states and other interested parties on both sides of the case.

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The District’s gun ban, the most stringent in the nation, was passed in June 1976 in a 12-1 vote by the D.C. Council.

It prohibits city residents — with few exceptions — from registering handguns and keeping them in the city. It also requires legal firearms such as shotguns and rifles to be stored disassembled or bound with trigger locks.

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“It’s an important, watershed case,” Mr. LaPierre said. “There’s absolutely no doubt about that.”