• On Thursday, June 26, U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a 1976 ban on handguns in Washington, DC is a violation of the Constitution's Second Amendment which protects individuals' right to bear arms.

• 1. Case reviewed: District of Columbia vs. Heller
  2. March 18, 2008: Began hearing arguments
  3. June 26, 2008: Ruled Washington, DC's 1976 handgun ban violated constitutional rights
  4. Supreme Court ruling: 5-4
  5. Court's first ruling on the Second Amendment since 1939
  6. Prohibitions: Illegal for felons the mentally ill to have firearms and no guns in school and government buildings
  7. Conditions must still be met for commercial sale of guns
  8. Justices in support: Antonin Scalia, John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Anthony Kennedy and Samuel Alito
  9. Justices against: John Paul Stevens, David Souter, Ruth Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer

Categories