The Supreme Court majority’s apparent embrace of the notion that the Second Amendment recognizes an individual right to keep and bear arms should not prove fatal to Washington, D.C.’s tough gun control law, editorializes the Washington Post. Every right is subject to some limitations, and the legal and public policy arguments for allowing government regulation of firearms are compelling, the paper says. D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier reiterated that “a weapon that is easily concealed, that can be taken inside of schools, inside of churches, inside of government buildings without anyone’s knowledge [] is something that we don’t want in the District of Columbia.”
The Post urges the justices to adopt the lowest standard of review to allow governments maximum flexibility in enacting laws meant to protect public safety. If a majority cannot agree on this, it should heed the suggestions of Solicitor General Paul Clement, who argued for a tougher standard but one that clearly permits sensible regulation, such as licensing, background checks, and a ban on machine guns.
Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/19/AR2008031903161.html