Gun Ban Struck Down

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a sweeping ban on handguns in the nation's capital violated the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

The justices voted 5-4 against the ban, with Justice Antonin Scalia writing the opinion for the majority.

At issue in District of Columbia v. Heller was whether Washington's ban violated the right to "keep and bear arms" by preventing individuals -- as opposed to state militias -- from having guns in their homes.

Some may be surprised by this, but I support the ruling. I do believe in a reasonable right to bear arms. What I do not support is a completely unregulated gun industry or completely unregulated gun ownership. We all believe in gun control, but to varying degrees.

I'm sure no reasonable human being would be okay with a three year old owning a gun.

I do not believe that there is a right for a private citizen to own an automatic weapon. I do support bans on automatic weapons. They cannot be used for hunting and they are overkill for self-defense unless you're next door neighbor has a cult armed to the teeth.

I also see the need for regulating gun shows and making sure that background checks are properly done. Guns should not be easy to buy in the sense that it is easy to buy a pair of shows. You shouldn't be allowed to simply go into a store and come out with a gun right after purchase. There is a reasonable need to ensure that guns do not fall into the wrong hands.

But gun bans should not be unreasonable like the DC one. I disagree with how it was illegal to own a handgun in the privacy of your own home.

It is not enough to restrict and keep restricting gun rights to curb gun violence. You need to attack factors that cause crime such as poor education and poverty. If government would focus on rebuilding cities, implement better anti-poverty programs and remove those who abuse such programs, and help strengthen our education system, there should be a drop in crime.

But at the same time, people need to be able to defend themselves. Have gun owners go over a gun safety course, but let the states decide that issue.

I do believe it would be a gross violation of the Constitution to ban firearms that citizens should reasonable own.

That's how I see it.