The Supreme Court ruled today in a 5-to-4 decision that the Second Amendment’s guarantee of an individual right to bear arms applies to state and local gun control laws,
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- Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., writing for the majority, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy and Clarence Thomas.
- in dissented: Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor.
"In its ruling today, the Supreme Court has affirmed a fundamental point of federalism: No state has the right to legislate away the blood-bought Constitutional right of every law-abiding American to protect their person, their family, and their liberty.
“This decision is a victory for the Second Amendment, but as a 5 to 4 ruling among the justices it also sends a warning. The Supreme Court is closely divided and at least four of its members would not extend a basic constitutional right to all fifty states. For that reason alone, the nomination and confirmation of any Supreme Court Justice requires careful deliberation to ensure that the members of the high court will protect the rights handed down by our Founding Fathers.” ###
Contact Matt Lloyd or Mary Vought at (202) 226-9000 or matt.lloyd@mail.house.gov
