Redstate

By Bill Dupray Posted in The Courts — Comments (14) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

For thirty years the citizens of the District of Columbia lived under the tyranny of a liberal, un-American government. The people's right to own a gun to protect themselves and their families, as enshrined in the United States Constitution by our Founding Fathers, was arrogantly ignored by that government. No apology has been issued by the D.C. government (don't hold your breath) to these Americans, because liberals believe they are better and smarter than the Founding Fathers, and everybody else for that matter.

The nice part about the Heller decision its clarity: Americans have a right to own a gun. For those deprived of that freedom for so long, it is undoubtedly a very liberating feeling. And what is the first thing they want to do? Why, hit the guns stores, of course.

D.C. resident Anthony Mason walked into Atlantic Guns in Silver Spring on Friday afternoon and asked a question the staff had heard all day: "How can I buy a small handgun?" [snip]

Gun shops in suburban Maryland and Virginia felt an immediate impact from the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling Thursday that the District's handgun ban is unconstitutional. [snip]

But with the court clearing the way for D.C. residents to legally arm themselves, many wasted no time.

Mason and about 50 other people called or came into the Atlantic as of Friday after the ruling. The well-stocked gun store next to a tattoo and body-piercing shop is about a half-mile from the District border, making it one of the gun shops closest to the city and among the busiest after the ruling. It's been in the same brick, one-story building since 1955.

"We've had a lot of people inquiring," Metta said. "What's happening now is a huge history maker."

You bet it is fella.

And this guy obviously has a brain in his head, unlike his Liberal Masters.

Mason, 53, who lives in the Brookland area, was looking to buy a gun for his wife, who works at a hair salon that was recently burglarized.

"I would feel more comfortable knowing she can protect herself if I'm not there," Mason said.

Having a gun around his house offers him a measure of security, he said.

"If people looking for trouble know you have protection, they'll usually move on," he said.

Protect his wife. Protect his home. Deter criminals. Don't be a victim. Things the D.C. Government would not allow him to do for 30 years.

Of course, being shamed by the highest court in the land won't deter D.C. leaders from further infringing on Americans' Constitutional Rights.

"It depends on how difficult the District government will make it for people to own handguns," [a gun store owner] said. "If they set the bar 10 feet high and no one can jump through it, what's the point in trying to get one?"

And D.C. officials are quite clear in their intentions.

"We're going to craft comprehensive legislation," D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) said at a news conference with Fenty, Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier, interim D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles and other council members.

"We're going to have the strictest handgun laws the Constitution allows," Gray said.

Which, given that they thought the unconstitutional ban was constitutional, will also likely be unconstitutional. And they don't care.

Also find Bill Dupray at The Patriot Room.