Statement of Barack Obama on Supreme Court Decision in District of Columbia V. Heller

I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through common-sense, effective safety measures. The Supreme Court has now endorsed that view, and while it ruled that the D.C. gun ban went too far, Justice Scalia himself acknowledged that this right is not absolute and subject to reasonable regulations enacted by local communities to keep their streets safe. Today’s ruling, the first clear statement on this issue in 127 years, will provide much-needed guidance to local jurisdictions across the country.

As President, I will uphold the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun-owners, hunters, and sportsmen. I know that what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne. We can work together to enact common-sense laws, like closing the gun show loophole and improving our background check system, so that guns do not fall into the hands of terrorists or criminals. Today's decision reinforces that if we act responsibly, we can both protect the constitutional right to bear arms and keep our communities and our children safe.

“The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditional lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.”

Senator John McCain took the opportunity to reinvigorate a familiar line of attack on his Democratic rival, Senator Barack Obama. “Unlike the elitist view that believes Americans cling to guns out of bitterness, today’s ruling recognizes that gun ownership is a fundamental right — sacred, just as the right to free speech and assembly,” Mr. McCain said.

Mr. McCain has not always been a favorite of the country’s largest gun lobby, which once branded him ‘’one of the premier flag-carriers for enemies of the Second Amendment.'’ The gun lobby still disagrees with Mr. McCain’s support for background checks for firearm sales at gun shows and campaign finance regulations that restricted political advertising by groups like the National Rifle Association. But The Times’s Elisabeth Bumiller reported that he was received warmly at last month’s N.R.A. convention, where he told members that a President Barack Obama would put the rights of “law-abiding’’ gun owners at risk.

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