SCOTUS Decision Proves Second Amendment Is An Individual Right

There's been a wealth of posts about the Heller vs. DC Supreme Court decision handed down today, where the Court found the Second Amendment applies to individuals, overturning the belief of many anti-gun advocates that the amendment is a collective right that does not allow the average citizen to keep and bear arms.

Frankly, I believe the Court made the right decision, putting the Second Amendment in the same frame of reference as the First Amendment – an individual right – along with the rest of the Bill of Rights. However I am surprised that a larger number of the justices did not support the majority opinion.

A number of anti-gun advocates voiced their dismay over the decision, including Chicago mayor Richard Daley, who seemed to think this decision would return us to the days when the Code of the Old West reigned supreme, meaning there'd be gunfights on the streets of the city. Unless he's been asleep at his desk, that's exactly what's been happening around cities that had heavy restrictions on gun ownership. Unfortunately the law abiding citizens were the ones required to dodge the bullets of rival gangs and other criminal miscreants. Now they'll be able to shoot back. (Hey, if Mayor Daley wants to overstate the case, then I'm allowed to do the same. See how ridiculous it sounds?)

I expect the hand-wringing and tooth-gnashing of the anti-gun groups to continue for some time, particularly as more gun-bans and ownership/carry laws are challenged in light of today's decision on Heller. Many of the anti-gun groups, including the Brady folks, aren't willing to admit that when law abiding citizens are allowed to protect themselves by carrying their own guns, the crime rates go down. Every state that has concealed carry and shall issue laws on the books tends to have lower crime rates than those states/cities that don't. There have been no bloodbaths on the streets, no showdowns at the OK Corral, and far more cases where a criminal predator has ended up being the prey for a citizen able to defend his/herself.

And that's just the way it should be.