District of Columbia v. Heller

The District of Columbia v. Heller is an important Supreme Court case in the background history of the Second Amendment.  This case was argued on March 18, 2008 and a decision was made on June 26, 2008.  The District of Columbia law prohibits people from carrying an unregistered firearm and prohibits them from registering handguns.  The law says that no person may carry an unregistered handgun, but the police chief is allowed to issue 1-year licenses.  However, even if a person has a 1-year license, all their firearms must be unloaded and dissembled or bound by a trigger lock at all times.  A special policeman, Respondent Heller, applied to register a handgun of his that he wished to keep at home.  His registration was denied by the District.  Respondent Heller responded to this refusal by filing a suit that the Second Amendment does in fact protect our right to private gun ownership.  The District Court dismissed the suit, but the D.C. Circuit reversed the decision, determining that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to possess firearms.  The D.C. Circuit felt that the District Courts decision to have a total ban on handguns and their idea to have a requirement that firearms in the home be kept nonfunctional was violating our rights in the Second Amendment.  The final decision was by the D.C. Circuit saying that we as individuals have the right to possess firearms, due to the Second Amendment.  

I completely agree with the outcome of this case.  In my opinion, the Second Amendment is basically saying that we as individuals have the right to own and possess a licensed firearm.  I think that the Second Amendment allows us to have a personal gun as a means for self defense so that we can feel safe within our own homes.