erniefreeman's Blog

I found this item in the USA Today.  The United States Supreme Court is going to take up a case from Washington D.C., about gun control versus an individual's rights to keep and bear arms (own a gun).  According to the McNewspaper of record, nearly three out of four Americans — 73% — believe the Second Amendment spells out an individual right to own a firearm, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 1,016 adults taken Feb. 8-10.

Yet for decades, federal judges have seen the Constitution differently, allowing a range of gun-control measures imposed by governments seeking to curb gun violence.

Lower court judges overwhelmingly have ruled that the right "to keep and bear arms" isn't for individuals, but instead applies to state militias, such as National Guard units. The U.S. Supreme Court repeatedly declined to hear appeals of those rulings, fueling the debate over gun control and tension between the law and public opinion. 

The case tests the constitutionality of a handgun ban in Washington, D.C., where in 1976 officials imposed one of the nation's strictest gun-control laws in response to alarming levels of gun violence. The justices will hear arguments on March 18; a ruling is likely by the end of June.

Let's talk about guns.  The last statistics I saw on this said more than 220,000,000 Americans own them.  So, should the government take them away?  Should we pay a fee to protect our homes, property and families?  What say you?