High court weighs right to own guns

March 19, 2008 - 3:44 ET

The Supreme Court yesterday heard the case that gun rights backers — until recently — didn't want it to hear: Does the U.S. Constitution grant every citizen the right to own a gun?

Legal arguments during a 90-minute hearing on the constitutionality of the D.C. gun ban touched on everything from the specific phrasing of the Second Amendment to the historical context of its adoption.

The landmark session, marking the first Second Amendment case to reach the high court in 70 years, took place before a packed room, with lawyers, law students and curious onlookers in the gallery.

It was not until the recent appointment to the court of two staunch conservatives — Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. — that gun rights activists were confident enough that the court could permanently decide the right of states and municipalities to strictly limit gun ownership.

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