In the past they've been pretty effusive in their support for laws limiting individuals' abilities to get, keep, and bear firearms. This may be a new day for them.
http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/opinion.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-07-14-0006.htmlPrior to the recent Supreme Court ruling, Barack Obama said he supported the District of Columbia's ban on individual gun ownership.
After the court threw out the law as unconstitutional, Obama said he was glad to see the Second Amendment interpreted as applying to individuals -- not merely to vaguely defined militias.
Only a presidential candidate or a Dadaist could reconcile the two positions.
Virginia leaders were more direct. A few complained about the decision, but overwhelming numbers in both parties applauded it.
Tim Kaine may have made the most informative statement. The scope of the court's actions will be determined in additional litigation, the governor said. Opponents of gun control already have challenged the constitutionalities of jurisdictions with laws similar to Washington's. An arduous process has only just begun.
We believe private individuals possess an inherent right to keep and bear arms. We hope draconian restrictions on gun ownership will fall, and expect many will. We also suspect that many regulations -- including some despised by the gun lobby -- will survive. The D.C. gun case did not close the case on guns.
