Gun (law) battle coming today

While John McCain and Barack Obama agreed in their disdain for Wednesday's US Supreme Court ruling outlawing the death penalty for child rapists, the presidential candidates will not be united in today's decision throwing out the handgun ban in Washington, D.C.

Indeed, in advance of the ruling, McCain's campaign was trying to argue that Obama is flip-flopping on the issue.

Obama, as recently as Wednesday, was careful not to comment specifically about the D.C. ban, which prohibits residents from keeping handguns inside their homes and requires that lawfully registered guns, such as shotguns, be locked and unloaded when kept at home.

But Obama has said he believes in "common-sense" gun laws, while he believes in the Second Amendment right for individuals to bear arms. His campaign disputes a characterization in a Chicago Tribune story last November that he supported the D.C. ban.

Obama issued this statement on the ruling: “I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through common-sense, effective safety measures. The Supreme Court has now endorsed that view, and while it ruled that the D.C. gun ban went too far, Justice Scalia himself acknowledged that this right is not absolute and subject to reasonable regulations enacted by local communities to keep their streets safe. Today’s ruling, the first clear statement on this issue in 127 years, will provide much-needed guidance to local jurisdictions across the country.

“As President, I will uphold the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun-owners, hunters, and sportsmen. I know that what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne. We can work together to enact common-sense laws, like closing the gun show loophole and improving our background check system, so that guns do not fall into the hands of terrorists or criminals. Today's decision reinforces that if we act responsibly, we can both protect the constitutional right to bear arms and keep our communities and our children safe."

McCain opposed the D.C. ordinance. The ruling is the high court's first clarifying the Second Amendment and the individual right to bear arms.

McCain issued this statement through his campaign: “Today’s decision is a landmark victory for Second Amendment freedom in the United States. For this first time in the history of our Republic, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms was and is an individual right as intended by our Founding Fathers. I applaud this decision as well as the overturning of the District of Columbia’s ban on handguns and limitations on the ability to use firearms for self-defense.

“Unlike Senator Obama, who refused to join me in signing a bipartisan amicus brief, I was pleased to express my support and call for the ruling issued today. Today’s ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller makes clear that other municipalities like Chicago that have banned handguns have infringed on the constitutional rights of Americans. Unlike the elitist view that believes Americans cling to guns out of bitterness, today’s ruling recognizes that gun ownership is a fundamental right -- sacred, just as the right to free speech and assembly.

“This ruling does not mark the end of our struggle against those who seek to limit the rights of law-abiding citizens. We must always remain vigilant in defense of our freedoms. But today, the Supreme Court ended forever the specious argument that the Second Amendment did not confer an individual right to keep and bear arms.”

UPDATE: The White House issued this statement from President Bush: "The President strongly agrees with the Supreme Court's historic decision today that the Second Amendment protects the individual right of Americans to keep and bear arms. This has been the Administration's long-held view. The President is also pleased that the Court concluded that the DC firearm laws violate that right."

The Libertarian Party, which says it was the only political party to file a brief in the case, also applauded the ruling. Spokesman Andrew Davis called the case a "landmark victory for the preservation of liberty in the United States."

The brief was written by Bob Barr, the former Georgia congressman who is now the party's candidate for president.

"Firearms are a distinct component of the American national character," Davis said in a statement. "The Libertarian Party is more than pleased to see that the Supreme Court recognizes this American tradition as an individual right, and seeks to protect it as such. Today's decision is a giant step forward in protecting the rights of millions of American gun owners."