It's very possible. We are down to the wire now, folks!
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No ruling on D.C.'s gun ban today
June 23, 2008 - 10:24am
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court won't give its ruling in the D.C. gun ban case Monday.
The court has scheduled a special session for Wednesday.
The law, which banned private ownership of handguns in the District, was taken to the Supreme Court after the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the law violates the Second Amendment.
The crux of the argument is to focus on whether the Second Amendment guarantees the individual right to bear arms or protects the right of states to maintain militias.
This is the high court's first comprehensive review of the Second Amendment. The court's ruling will have ramifications across the country.
D.C.'s ban, which is the toughest in the country, has attracted attention from states across the nation. Virginia, Arkansas and Texas are joining in the challenge of the ban, while Maryland, New York, Illinois and Hawaii, are backing the measure.
While city leaders say the law keeps guns off District streets, police have confiscated numerous weapons that have been traced to shops in Maryland and Virginia. District police seized 2,924 guns in 2007 alone.
Back in March, when the case came before the court, here were some of the arguments:
"At the end of the day, I think, however one resolves those great theoretical and constitutional issues, we come down to the fact that this is an extremely reasonable law. Because the District of Columbia really thought this through. And they allowed rifles and shotguns. They believe in the right of people to be able to defend their homes."
- Lawyer Walter Dellinger, representing the District of Columbia
"This morning the Supreme Court heard arguments about whether or not the Second Amendment actually means anything. Is it some sort of a relic of the past that has no operative force today? Does it guarantee a right to follow military orders, or does it do what most Americans understand it does, guarantees an individual right of American citizens to defend themselves and their families in their own homes with simple, ordinary firearms, including handguns."
- Lawyer Alan Gura, representing clients seeking to overturn the District of Columbia gun ban
"I have said many, many times as police chief in Washington, D.C., and after policing here in this city for nearly 18 years that the issue with handguns to me is very clear. A weapon that is easily concealed, that can be taken inside of schools, inside of churches, inside of government buildings without anyone's knowledge ... is something that we don't want in the District of Columbia."
- Police Chief Cathy Lanier
"The Constitution does not end at the borders of the District of Columbia. The citizens of Washington, D.C., enjoy all the constitutional rights that every citizen enjoys, including the right to shoot and bear arms."
- Clark Neily, co-counsel
(Copyright 2008 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
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