The Case Against the D.C. Gun Ban
District of Columbia v. Heller
Scholars available for comment: Robert A. Levy, Tim Lynch, and Brian Doherty.
All media inquiries: Call 202-789-5200, or email pr@cato.org
Because of Thursday's decision, the prospects for reviving the original meaning of the Second Amendment are now substantially brighter.
Robert A. Levy is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, co-counsel to Mr. Heller, and co-author of The Dirty Dozen: How Twelve Supreme Court Cases Radically Expanded Government and Eroded Freedom.
More by Robert A. LevyFull Statement from Robert A. Levy
On June 26, 2008, the Court rediscovered the Second Amendment. More than five years after six Washington, D.C. residents challenged the city’s 32-year-old ban on all functional firearms in the home, the Court held in District of Columbia v. Heller that the law is unconstitutional.
Heller is merely the opening salvo in a series of litigations that will ultimately resolve what weapons and persons can be regulated and what restrictions are permissible. But because of Thursday’s decision, the prospects for reviving the original meaning of the Second Amendment are now substantially brighter.
District of Columbia v. Heller Decision
Download a PDF of the Heller opinion here, courtesy SCOTUSBlog
Cato Amicus Briefs
District of Columbia v. Heller, February 13, 2008 (PDF, 141 KB).
Shelly Parker, Dick Anthony Heller, Tom G. Palmer, Gillian St. Lawrence, Tracey Ambeau and George Lyon v. District of Columbia and Anthony Williams, March 1, 2004 (PDF, 48 KB).
Opinion and Commentary
"Second Amendment - No Longer Embarrassing," by Robert A. Levy, McClatchy News Service, July 2, 2008
"Heller's Kitchen," by David Kopel, New York Sun, June 30, 2008
"News Flash: The Constitution Means What It Says," by Randy Barnett, The Wall Street Journal, June 27, 2008
"The Gun-Rights Fight Isn't Over," by Brian Doherty, Los Angeles Times, June 27, 2008
"Second Amendment Haze," by Robert A. Levy, Washington Times, June 17, 2008
"Fighting for Our Right to Bear Arms," by Robert A. Levy, Boston Globe (Online), March 18, 2008
"Armed for Liberty," by Alan Gura and Robert A. Levy, Legal Times, March 17, 2008
"In Liberty's Two Arms," by David Kopel, Legal Times, January 14, 2008
"Gun Prohibitionists Mostly Misfire," by David Kopel, OCRegister.com, November 21, 2007
"The D.C. Gun Ban: Supreme Court Preview," by Robert A. Levy, Legal Times, September 24, 2007
Multimedia
Supreme Court overturns gun ban, Robert A. Levy on ABC News June 26, 2008 [Flash Video, 01:34]
"SCOTUS Kills the D.C. Gun Ban" featuring Roger Pilon, June 26, 2008 [Flash Audio, 06:21]
Robert A. Levy weighs in on the DC gun ban case on WTTG June 24, 2008 [Flash Video, 02:32]
"The Bush Brief and the D.C. Gun Ban" featuring Robert A. Levy, March 18, 2008 [Flash Audio, 08:17]
Tom G. Palmer and Robert A. Levy on C-SPAN on the DC gun ban case March 18, 2008 [Flash Video, 02:35]
Tom G. Palmer talks about the DC gun ban on Reporter's Roundtable March 14, 2008 [Flash Video, 18:01]
"Supremes to Hear Second Amendment Case" featuring Robert A. Levy, November 20, 2007 [Flash Audio, 06:53]
"Ending the D.C. Gun Ban" featuring Robert A. Levy, July 19, 2007 [Flash Audio, 06:13]
Upcoming Cato Book
Gun Control on Trial: Inside the Supreme Court Battle Over the Second Amendment
by Brian Doherty
Gun Control on Trial tells the full story of District of Columbia v. Heller, with extensive analysis of the Supreme Court's June 26 decision upholding the unconstitutionality of the District of Columbia's gun ban. With exclusive behind-the-scenes access throughout the process, author Brian Doherty is uniquely positioned to delve into the issues of this monumental case and provides compelling looks at the inside stories, including the plaintiffs' fight for the right to protect their lives, the activist lawyers who worked to affirm that right, and the forces who fought to stop the case. This story is about more than historical debates and a landmark Supreme Court ruling. It is also about the right to stand up to defend your own life and your family in a dangerous world, and about protecting the rights provided by the Constitution.