  |
|
 |
|
|
|
US Supreme Court poised to rule on gun laws AFP The US Supreme Court was expected to rule Thursday for the first time in seven decades on the highly emotional issue of the constitutional right to bear arms. The court's decision -- on whether the right to keep and bear arms is fundamentally an individual or collective right -- is expected to have a far reaching impact on US gun control laws, experts say. The high court has never before issued a ruling on the interpretation of the second amendment to the constitution, which states: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." At the center of the case is the nation's capital city, Washington, which has some of the toughest gun control laws in the country. Private possession of handguns is strictly banned here, and any rifles or shotguns kept in homes must be disassembled or kept under a trigger lock. Washington government officials say the ban, instituted in 1976, is necessary to keep street violence and murder rates down, and that the second amendment protects gun rights for people associated with militias, not individuals. "I'm confident in our case, and our continued ability to protect residents from gun violence," said Mayor Adrian Fenty upon filing his legal team's brief in March.
|
||||
