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 |  Subject: Reactions to the Supreme Court striking down the DC gun ban  Thu Jun 26, 2008 7:22 pm | |
| Some reaction to the Supreme Court's ruling Thursday that Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting:
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"I'm thrilled I am now able to defend myself and my household in my home." _ Dick Heller, who sued the District of Columbia after it rejected his application to keep a handgun at his home for protection.
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"More handguns in the District of Columbia will only lead to more handgun violence." _ Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty.
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"I applaud the Supreme Court's historic decision today confirming what has always been clear in the Constitution: the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear firearms. I also agree with the Supreme Court's conclusion that the D.C. firearm laws violate this fundamental constitutional right." _ President Bush.
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"While it ruled that the D.C. gun ban went too far, Justice Scalia himself acknowledged that this right is not absolute and subject to reasonable regulations enacted by local communities to keep their streets safe. Today's ruling ... will provide much-needed guidance to local jurisdictions across the country." _ Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
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"This is a great moment in American history. It vindicates individual Americans all over this country who have always known that this is their freedom worth protecting." _ Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association.
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"They (Supreme Court justices) live in safe neighborhoods. They don't have this. ... Until it's their family member, they're going to keep voting that way." _ Annette Nance-Holt, whose son was shot in Chicago as he rode a bus home from school in May.
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"This opinion should usher in a new era in which the constitutionality of government regulations of firearms are reviewed against the backdrop of this important right." _ Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.
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"We're shown time and time again how many children have been killed in their homes by guns. ... The only thing it's gonna do is increase your taxes. More police. More hospitalization. More victims of violence." _ Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.
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"I think this is a long overdue decision; I don't think the precedent has been seriously reaffirmed in decades." _ Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis.
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"I am profoundly disappointed in Justice Roberts and Justice Alito, both of whom assured us of their respect for precedent. With this decision, 70 years of precedent has gone out the window. And I believe the people of this great country will be less safe because of it." _ Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
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"Let's be honest about it. This is an actual, enumerated right in the Constitution." _ Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.
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"This school year alone, over 20 Chicago public school students have been killed by guns. And in April there was a 10-day stretch in Chicago where there were 48 shootings. ... Acknowledging that gun ownership is a basic right does not absolve us from the constitutional and moral responsibility to protect innocent children" _ Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
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"Today's ruling is a major victory for the rights of all Americans to protect themselves and their families. The Supreme Court sent a clear message to local, state, and federal governments that this individual right cannot be unreasonably infringed." _ Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.
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"Today, President Bush's radical Supreme Court justices put rigid ideology ahead of the safety of communities in New Jersey and across the country. This decision illustrates why I have strongly opposed extremist judicial nominees and will continue to do so in the future." _ Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.
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"This decision should send a clear message to opponents of the Second Amendment. The Constitution plainly guarantees the solemn right to keep and bear arms, and the whims of politically correct bureaucrats cannot take it away." _ House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.
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"This decision's going to say to these guys that it's OK to have guns _ that's the message the street gets from this ... If you take this ruling the wrong way, everybody and their mother's going to go out and get a gun." _ Tio Hardiman, of the Chicago violence prevention group Cease Fire.
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"As someone who works in Washington during the week, I'm relieved that I can now defend myself in my own apartment without fearing a knock on the door from the local police," Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga.
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"While the Supreme Court has ruled, not unexpectedly, that individuals have a right to bear arms, the court clearly allows for reasonable regulations like the Brady law and the assault weapons ban. It is my hope and belief that the ruling will not change much in terms of how the states and the federal government are allowed to regulate guns." _ Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Jun26/0,4670,ScotusGunsQuotes,00.html |
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