District of Columbia v. Heller: Year One

June 26, 2009

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, which struck down Washington, DC's draconian handgun ban for depriving individuals of their Second Amendment right "to use arms for the core lawful purpose of self-defense." In a forceful, tightly argued opinion, Justice Antonin Scalia definitively settled the fact that the amendment protects an individual right, not a collective one.

To celebrate this historic decision, we take a look back at Reason's coverage of both the Heller case and its implications for the future of Second Amendment rights.

Reason.tv: Brian Doherty Reacts to D.C. v. Heller:

The Second Amendment Goes to Court. Civil libertarians respond to D.C. v. Heller. Featuring Randy Barnett, Brian Doherty, Alan Gura, David B. Kopel, Sanford Levinson, Joyce Lee Malcom, and Glenn Reynolds.

How the Second Amendment Was Restored. The inside story of how a gang of libertarian lawyers made constitutional history. By Brian Doherty.

Reason.tv: Alan Gura: The High Stakes of the D.C. Gun Ban Case:

Excuse Me While I Get My Gun. Washington, D.C., defies the Supreme Court's Second Amendment ruling. By Jacob Sullum.

In Defense of Judicial Activism. D.C. v. Heller and the failures of conservative judicial restraint. By Damon W. Root.

A Hollow Victory? Assessing the real world impact of D.C. v. Heller. By Radley Balko.

Life After Heller. More lawyers, more guns, some nunchuks, and the 14th Amendment. By Brian Doherty.

The Second Amendment and the States. Why the Supreme Court should strike down Chicago's handgun ban. By Damon W. Root.

Comments

|6.26.09 @ 7:21PM|#

What? DC isn't a warzone yet? I guess it's true. Guns don't cause crime. Who knew it was only the criminals who broke the law.

LarryA|6.27.09 @ 3:22AM|#

I thought the fun part of Heller was the education that went on. Some of my friends who thought reasonable gun control was a good idea got to watch the Brady folks and the VPC define D.C.'s law as "reasonable." Now they want to learn to shoot.

|6.28.09 @ 11:34PM|#

Chicago chooses not to recognize those portions of the constitution not
in compliance with the authority of the State.