News

Log Cabin Republicans Celebrates Independence Day and Supreme Court Protection of the Right to Bear Arms

July 2, 2010

(Washington, DC) – Log Cabin Republicans are encouraged by the United States Supreme Court decision in McDonald v. City of Chicago to uphold the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms. The 5-4 ruling strikes down Chicago's draconian anti-gun regulations and establishes that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments.

"As America celebrates the founding of our nation born from a revolution, it is appropriate to remember self-defense is a central part of the philosophy of personal responsibility and individual liberty. Gay and lesbian Americans also appreciate the importance of being able to protect ourselves and our families like everyone else," said R. Clarke Cooper, Executive Director of Log Cabin Republicans.

Wayne LaPierre, Executive Vice-President of the National Rifle Association stated at the time of the ruling, "Every elected official who has sworn on the Bible to uphold and defend the United States Constitution must defend the Second Amendment as ardently as the rest of the Bill of Rights." and that "Every citizen has every right afforded under the Second Amendment. The Court confirmed it, Americans agree with it, and it is a fundamental right that must be accessible to all law-abiding Americans, wherever they live."

While the ruling is favorable, Log Cabin Republicans notes that as a 5-4 decision, the Court is sharply divided on the issue. "The narrow margin of victory underscores the urgency of putting sensible jurists on the Court who recognize that gun ownership is a cherished and historic American right enshrined in our Constitution," commented Cooper.

Chicago's thirty-year-old handgun ban was one of the most overzealous in the nation, and legal scholars are already predicting that McDonald's practical impact may be limited. Following the historic District of Columbia v. Heller decision in 2008, the Washington, DC government continues to fight the ruling, forcing citizens to jump through hoops and navigate expensive and intrusive regulations to exercise their constitutionally protected right to own a handgun. Log Cabin encourages state and local governments to follow both the letter and the spirit of the law and respect law-abiding Americans' fundamental freedom as they craft new, more reasonable firearm regulations.