Office of the Attorney General: Second Amendment Protected U.S. Supreme Court Sides with Cox and Overturns Washington D.C.'s Gun Ban

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

June 26, 2008

Attorney General Mike Cox today released the following statement on the United State Supreme Court 5-4 decision overturning the Washington D.C. ban on hand guns (District of Columbia v. Heller).

Today, the United States Supreme Court has affirmed that the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment right "to keep and bear arms" is an individual right.

As a former prosecutor and head of the Homicide Unit of the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, I never saw anyone charged with murder who had a license to legally carry a concealed weapon. Most people who want to possess guns are law-abiding and present no threat to others.

Rather than the availability of weapons, my experience is that gun violence is driven by culture, police presence (or lack of same), and failures in the supervision of parolees and probationers.

Despite repeated attempts to overturn this right, the Court's 5-4 decision today is a clear victory for individual gun ownership and those who believe in a common sense understanding of the Constitution.

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Cox also filed an amicus brief supporting citizens right bear arms.