Murkowski Applauds Supreme Court Ruling on Gun Owner Rights
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today issued the following statement after the United States Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, struck down Chicago’s handgun ban as an unconstitutional encroachment on right to keep and bear arms. The Court held that firearm possession is a fundamental constitutional right. Therefore, courts across the land are empowered to strike down state and local weapon laws that infringe on this basic right. Murkowski had signed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case that supported extending the Second Amendment in this way.
“For too long, the courts, and some lawmakers, have refused to treat the Second Amendment of the Constitution with the same respect as the rest of the Bill of Rights. I am glad the Supreme Court has finally held what I have long argued – that the Second Amendment is a fundamental right,” Murkowski said. “I hope this ruling will give Americans across the country a reprieve from governmental encroachment on their ability to protect their families. As I said when I announced my opposition to Justice Sotomayor’s nomination last year, no constitutional issue concerns Alaskans more than the Second Amendment. Today’s ruling is a victory for common sense and the founding principles of our nation.
The holding in the case, McDonald v. City of Chicago, extends the rationale of the 2008 case District of Columbia v. Heller, where the Court held for the first time that the Second Amendment guaranteed an individual right. That case, however, was limited to the federally controlled District of Columbia.
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