Arming America: Why Gun Control Laws Make our Streets, Cities and Schools VulnerableIn the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, a national debate has once again ensued over gun control. The Second Amendment, with its "well regulated militia" language, is under the microscope as well.
Remarkably, just over a month before the Virginia Tech shootings, a federal appeals court overturned the District of Columbia's long-standing handgun ban, rejecting the city's argument that the Second Amendment right to bear arms applied only to militias. In a 2-1 decision issued by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the judges held that the activities protected by the Second Amendment "are not limited to militia service, nor is an individual's enjoyment of the right contingent" on militia enrollment.
Writing for the majority, Judge Laurence Silberman said, "The district's definition of the militia is just too narrow. There are too many instances of 'bear arms' indicating private use to conclude that the drafters intended only a military sense."
The issue may ultimately be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Recently, Robert Levy, a senior fellow in constitutional studies at the Cato Institute, joined CFIF Corporate Counsel and Senior Vice President Renee Giachino to discuss the case, Parker v. District of Columbia, which he personally conceived and brought.
What follows is the interview originally heard on "Your Turn - Meeting Nonsense with Commonsense" on WEBY 1330 AM, Northwest Florida's talk radio...[Listen to the interview here]