If you have done any research on the handgun topic, you are familiar with the District of Columbia’s handgun ban. There is certainly evidence on both sides about D.C.‘s handgun ban and its effect on crime. If you want to read in depth about the D.C. handgun ban, you should read through the 2005 Congressional hearings:
Under Fire: Does the District of Columbia’s Gun Ban Help or Hurt the Fight Against Crime?
On March 9, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision in Parker vs. District of Columbia that repealed the District’s handgun ban. On May 8, D.C. Circuit Court of appeals voted 6 – 4 to deny a motion to reconsider.
D.C. must either appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court or lift the handgun ban. Pro-gun people think they have a strong case and would really like for the case to go to the Supreme Court. A victory in the Supreme Court will be a landmark acknowledgment that the Second Amendment protects the individual right to bear arms. Anti-gun people would like to see the ban upheld, but don’t really want a gun control issue in the headlines in the heat of the presidential election. It is uncertain what D.C. will decide to do.
The biggest thing that could happen between now and the end of the NFL National Tournament is an announcement that D.C. will not appeal the decision in Parker vs. District of Columbia and will lift the ban on handguns. If they announce that they will appeal, things will remain “as is” until the case is decided. Before you arrive in Wichita you should have an idea of how an announcement about Parker vs. District of Columbia during the tournament could affect your arguments.
Additional Reading
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To the comment that anti-gun people wouldn’t want it in the news, it is more probable that a Supreme Court appeal, if cert is granted, would come out in favor of DC, not in favor of the NRA, so it is more likely that anti-gun people, especially those in line with court precedents, would want it in the news as a victory for them.
Even Alito, when sitting on the 3rd circuit court, endorsed the idea of effective gun control. I think that the best thing for the Pro would be to focus on the probability of an appeal and cert writ given the difference of opinion between the circuits, and the subsequent probability of a ruling in favor of DC.
And update. DC has decide to appeal to the Supreme Court.