Court Strikes Down Handgun Law

On March 9, 2007, opponents of gun control had all mark this day as the first time a federal appeals court had turned down a gun law under the grounds of the Second Amendment. The U.S Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia had concluded in a 2-to-1 decision as the majority opinion stated, “The amendment does not protect the right of militiamen to keep and bear arms, but rather the right of the people”. While supporters of gun control criticized the ruling by saying it was, “judicial activism at its worst” the opponents merely stated that “the Second Amendment of the Constitution protects an inherent, individual right to bear arms”. What the court had done was strike down a ban that kept handguns at home and disassembled. However, the right to bear arms is a controversial topic and therefore the supporters of gun control will not go down without a struggle.

I would side with the supporters of gun control, because it only takes one bullet to kill someone. One mistake, one accident, one slip-up can all lead up to death. Because this incident occurred before the Virginia Tech Massacre, I believe that people now further understand the importance of controlling these dangerous weapons. By closely controlling the bearing of arms may be consider a violation of rights, but I find a human life more important than a right.