A U.S. appeals court on Friday struck down a 30-year-old Washington, D.C., law that bans handguns in homes, a precedent-setting ruling that dealt a setback to a city with one of America's highest crime rates.Imagine if it had been written this way instead,
A U.S. appeals court on Friday struck down a 30-year-old Washington, D.C., law that bans handguns in homes, a precedent-setting ruling that offered relief to a city with one of America's highest crime rates.Or even better,
A U.S. appeals court on Friday struck down a 30-year-old Washington, D.C., law that bans handguns in homes, a precedent-setting ruling that offered law-abiding citizens a chance to defend themselves in a city with one of America's highest crime rates.Bias? What liberal bias?
District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty provides some comedy relief,
"I am personally deeply disappointed and quite frankly outraged by today's decision. Today's decision flies in the face of laws that have helped decrease gun violence in the District of Columbia," he said during a televised news conference.Amazingly, he said it with a straight face and didn't squirt selzer after the punch line. But he wasn't the only one making funnies.
Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson dissented, saying the Second Amendment did not apply to the District of Columbia because it is not a state.Someone tell President Bush! Rights don't apply in the District of Columbia! He can lock up the entire press corps!
Eugene Volokh has some great posts addressing the issues involved in the case, including the reasoning behind why the court saw the right to bear arms as an individual rather than a collective right, a very important distinction. (He also addresses the issue of 2nd amendment rights in DC even though it is not a state.)
In honor of the residents of Washington DC regaining some of their freedom today, I thought a little music might be appropriate.
Gotta get me one of those.
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