Gun Rights 2010: Handgun Ban in Chicago Unconstitutional (Second Amendment)

The Chicago handgun ban has been controversial for decades.  Second Amendment rights, or the right to bear arms, are among one of the most polarizing rights that citizens try to uphold.  Do guns kill people, or do people kill people? Such is the rhetoric that has gone around the court system.

Yesterday the Supreme Court ruled that state and local governments must abide by the Second Amendment, or the right to bear arms.  This includes the right to own a handgun.  This means that the Chicago Handgun ban which was implemented years ago is unconstitutional, and that citizens across the US can own handguns.

The Supreme Court ruling is highly controversial, and will likely be a blow to Obama's agenda.  As the president is from Chicago, he seeks to tighten gun control.

It has yet to be seen whether or not the President will be able to successfully tighten gun control given that Second Amendment Rights are so important to many Americans.  Many speculate that if the President is successful in his desires, he will control guns through ammunition instead of by banning the weapons themselves.

The ruling by the Supreme Court will likely lead to more and more lawsuits.  Bans on certain types of guns such as assault weapons could be challenged because of today's ruling.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Americans from Chicago who want to own handguns for protection.  The case is sent back to a lower court now for a final ruling.

The hearing comes on the same day as the first day of the confirmation hearings for Elena Kagan, Obama's Supreme Court nominee to replace Chief Justice Roberts.  One can't help but wonder if the ruling would have been different had Kagan been on the bench.