Gun Control and Gun Rights
The Second Amendment to the Constitution, which concerns the right to bear arms, is always a hot-button issue, especially during election season. Gun rights and gun control groups alike have been lobbying Congress for decades to craft legislation in their respective favors. Twice in the past two years the gun issue has reached the nation’s highest court. In the 2008 Supreme Court case District of Columbia v. Heller the court ruled that the Constitution protects an individual’s right to own a gun for personal use. But the 5-4 decision only applied to federal laws and failed to address local and state laws. Thus, in July 2010 the Supreme Court ruled that the federal right to bear arms also applies at the state and local level. The ruling lifted a nearly 30-year-old Chicago gun ban. The National Rifle Association called the ruling a landmark, but the decision did not specify what kind of gun laws can be applied to the Second Amendment. “The real challenge is going to be getting law-abiding citizens access to it,” said NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre after the ruling. Both gun rights and gun control groups will likely continue to lobby Congress on this issue to either blunt or sharpen the ruling.
The latest news on Gun Control and Gun Rights
Bullet tester says the first 3-D printed bullets are lightweight and inaccurate.
Legal scholars are considering whether armed drones could be protected under the Second Amendment.
More lawsuits against gun-touting towns may on the horizon.
The government is often the last wall between citizens and harm.
Like Clinton and Reagan before him, Obama is stymied by second-term scandals.
There is room for sensible compromise on background check legislation.
Kokesh cites recent comments by Obama in support of the second amendment.
Obesity is one thing, gun control is another.
There are steps Congress can take to (sort of) stay ahead of the gun curve.
Polls show that overwhelming majorities of Americans, and even of NRA members, favor universal background checks.
