Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN News

Where Would We Stand Without Heller?

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Where Would We Stand Without Heller?

When the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia struck down the District’s “good-reason” requirement for concealed carry, it begged the question once more: Where would we be without Heller?

District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) was the seminal Supreme Court decision that reaffirmed that the right to keep and bear arms is an individual one, in no way tied to or dependent upon service in the military or militia. In other words, it is a right possessed by each American at birth, and it comes without stipulation or caveat.

When the Heller ruling was handed down in late June 2008, it eviscerated restrictions on free people who were being punished by proscriptive firearm laws in Washington, D.C. In so doing, it sent shockwaves through the establishment media, the Democratic Party and gun control groups around the country.

Two years later, Heller played a role in the Supreme Court’s McDonald v. Chicago (2010), a ruling that leaned on Heller and reaffirmed not simply the individual nature of the right to keep and bear arms, but also the fact that that right—like others in the Bill of Rights—is incorporated in the Fourteenth Amendment. In other words, the right to keep and bear arms is doubly protected; it is guarded by the Second Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment as well.

When the Heller ruling was handed down in late June 2008, it eviscerated restrictions on free people who were being punished by proscriptive firearm laws in Washington, D.C. In so doing, it sent shockwaves through the establishment media, the Democratic Party and gun control groups around the country.

What does this mean? It means McDonaldshowed that states and cities are prohibited from infringing on the right to keep and bear arms in the same way Heller showed that D.C. is prohibited from infringing on said rights.

Outlets like the Los Angeles Times have criticized the Heller decision for years after it was handed down. The goal of their criticism was clearly to keep some degree of hysteria regarding the decision alive, so it would be teed up for an anti-gun president to reverse or at least tweak, should such a president follow Barack Obama.

On June 27, 2008—the day after Heller was handed down—the Los Angeles Timeslamented:

Presented with two historically plausible arguments about whether the Second Amendment secures an individual right to keep and bear arms, the Supreme Court on Thursday opted for the interpretation less suited to a 21st century America bedeviled by gun crime. That’s the disappointing part of the court’s long-awaited ruling striking down the District of Columbia’s strict gun-control ordinance.

Seven years later—on Sept. 23, 2015—the Los Angeles Times contended:

The Supreme Court erred in the initial Heller decision by upending an interpretation of the 2nd Amendment that had been embraced for half a century—that the amendment’s reference to a ‘well-regulated militia’ limits the right to keep and bear arms to organized military units, such as the National Guard.

The criticism from the Los Angeles Times was complimented by similar criticism from The New York Times and, eventually, from Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

BY AWR Hawkins

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter @AWRHawkins, or reach him directly at [email protected].

TRENDING NOW
Report: Senior ATF Official Joins (Private) Firearm Prohibition Lobby

News  

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Report: Senior ATF Official Joins (Private) Firearm Prohibition Lobby

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is the federal agency whose jurisdiction encompasses federal firearms laws. 

ABAs Latest Resolution Continues to Ignore Liberty and Hinder Justice for Gun Owners

News  

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

ABAs Latest Resolution Continues to Ignore Liberty and Hinder Justice for Gun Owners

Last month, the American Bar Association (ABA), via its Standing Committee on Gun Violence, passed yet another anti-gun resolution at their annual meeting in Toronto (the venue should serve as a clue regarding their commitment ...

Third Circuit Sua Sponte Takes NRA’s “Assault Firearm” and Magazine Ban Case En Banc

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Third Circuit Sua Sponte Takes NRA’s “Assault Firearm” and Magazine Ban Case En Banc

Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs v. Attorney Gen. New Jersey is an NRA-supported challenge to New Jersey’s prohibitions on so-called “assault firearms” and magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds.

Update: North Carolina House Reschedules Veto Override Vote

Tuesday, August 26, 2025

Update: North Carolina House Reschedules Veto Override Vote

Today, the House rescheduled the veto override vote on Senate Bill 50, Freedom to Carry NC, to Monday, September 22. 

The Delusion of Ignoring Criminals

News  

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

The Delusion of Ignoring Criminals

Is it something in the water? Officials in Democrat-run strongholds like Chicago are unwilling to accept that their crime problems are the result of their pro-criminal, anti-victim policies, including gun laws that restrict the rights ...

Florida: Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday Signed by Governor

Monday, July 7, 2025

Florida: Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday Signed by Governor

Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed the Florida Budget for Fiscal Year 2025–2026, which includes a Second Amendment sales tax holiday from September 8 through December 31, 2025. The NRA is thankful for Governor DeSantis’ strong ...

Illinois: Governor Signs Mandatory Firearm Storage Law

Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Illinois: Governor Signs Mandatory Firearm Storage Law

Earlier this month, Governor JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 8 into law. This legislation imposes new mandatory firearm storage requirements on law-abiding gun owners.  

California: Action Needed! Anti-Gun Bills Could Receive Floor Votes Today!

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

California: Action Needed! Anti-Gun Bills Could Receive Floor Votes Today!

On Friday, August 29th, the California Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees advanced several anti-gun bills that could receive floor votes as early as today. Please use the TAKE ACTION button below to contact your state ...

Grassroots Spotlight: Tacoma Sportman's Club

Take Action  

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Grassroots Spotlight: Tacoma Sportman's Club

Last month, Jane Milhans, an NRA-ILA FrontLines Activist Leader (FAL) in Washington state, hosted an “NRA 2A Evening and Grassroots Meeting” at the Tacoma Sportsman’s Club.

Arkansas Atrocity Highlights Need for Reform in Rules Governing Carry in Public Parks

News  

Monday, August 25, 2025

Arkansas Atrocity Highlights Need for Reform in Rules Governing Carry in Public Parks

On the heels of the shocking and seemingly random murder of a couple in an Arkansas state park while they were walking a trail with their young children, many are revisiting their self-defense plans in the great ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.