Court Strikes Down DC Handgun Ban

Unanimous vote comes in wake of US Supreme Court ruling

(NEWSER) - Wasting little time after the US Supreme Court threw out the city's gun ban , Chicago aldermen today voted unanimously to institute new gun regulations. By a 45-0 vote, the lawmakers passed laws considered the nation's strictest, and they weren't coy about their motivation. "No Supreme Court judge could live in my community and come to the same conclusion they did a couple days ago," one alderman told the Sun-Times . More»

Prosecutor won't press most cases in wake of Supreme Court ruling

(NEWSER) - One Wisconsin DA is taking the US Supreme Court's ruling on gun rights and running with it, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. In Jackson County, prosecutors won't be pursuing cases against defendants accused of carrying concealed weapons, among other infractions. The high court's ruling in McDonald vs. Chicago "immediately renders some of Wisconsin's current laws unconstitutional," so he's instituting the new policy, which the DA acknowledged targets "the elitists who seek to disarm all of us." More»

Conservatives celebrate, liberals predict anarchy

(NEWSER) - The Supreme Court issued a major gun rights decision today, one that conservatives believe forever ends gun control in America. Here’s what the pundits are saying:

• David Rittgers of the National Review expects violent crime to fall now that people can finally defend themselves. The decision finally kills off “the preposterous idea that governments can reduce the number of victims of violent crime by taking away their means of resistance.”

Decision could undermine Chicago's ban

(AP) - The Supreme Court says the Constitution's "right to keep and bear arms" applies nationwide as a restraint on the ability of government to limit its application. The justices' decision today casts doubt on a Chicago-area handgun ban, but their 5-4 vote also signaled that less severe restrictions could survive legal challenges. Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the court, said the Second Amendment right "applies equally to the federal government and the states." More»

Challenge to Chicago handgun ban could neuter local gun control measures

(NEWSER) - The Supreme Court will take up a case that could radically alter legal precedent regarding gun ownership and Second Amendment rights. The case is an appeal brought by Chicago-area gun owners who challenged the city’s ban on handguns. The high court overturned such a ban last year in Washington, DC, but didn't make clear whether it applied to cities and states, notes the Los Angeles Times. The ruling, due next summer, could lead to challenges of gun-control measures across the nation. More»