http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17538139/


Federal court overturns D.C. handgun ban
2-1 ruling says Second Amendment is not limited to 'militia' needs

March 9, 2007

WASHINGTON - The District of Columbia's long-standing ban on handguns was
overturned Friday by a federal appeals court, which rejected the city's
argument that the Second Amendment right to bear arms applies only to
militias, not individuals.

In a 2-1 decision, 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 upon his or her continued
intermittent enrollment in the militia."

A lower-court judge told six city residents in 2004 that they did not have
a constitutional right to own handguns. The plaintiffs include residents of
high-crime neighborhoods who want guns for protection.

The Bush administration has endorsed individual gun-ownership rights but
the Supreme Court has never settled the issue. If the dispute makes it to
the high court, it would be the first case in nearly 70 years to address
the Second Amendment's scope.