NSSF to Sen. Obama:

NSSF to Sen. Obama:
'Where Do You Stand on Gun Bans?'

Following the recent landmark Second Amendment ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, the National Shooting Sports Foundation sent presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) a letter, dated July 4, asking whether he believes laws in his hometown of Chicago that ban law-abiding citizens from having firearms, including handguns in their homes, violate the Second Amendment. Read the Letter | Press Release





July 4, 2008
The Honorable Barack Obama
United States Senate
SH-713
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Obama:
Last week the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark decision District of Columbia, et al. v. Heller held that the Second Amendment protects the right of law-abiding Americans to “keep and bear arms,” including handguns. Recently, you have claimed the Second Amendment provides an individual right to own firearms. Your current position stands in stark contrast to your support while an Illinois state senator for banning the civilian ownership of handguns. Prior to the Heller decision, you said you believed Washington, D.C.’s gun ban did not violate the Second Amendment. Much like the District of Columbia, your hometown of Chicago has since 1982 effectively banned its law-abiding citizens from having handguns and long guns in their homes.
In light of the Heller decision, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms industry, would like to know whether you believe the City of Chicago’s gun ban violates the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Chicago residents? Do you continue to support banning an entire class of firearms from private ownership by law-abiding citizens, including your fellow Chicago residents? Do you believe the Second Amendment rights of Americans should depend on where they happen to live? If you do, which other individual rights enshrined in the Constitution do you believe are limited by municipal borders?
We look forward to receiving your responses to these important questions so that the over 90 million law-abiding Americans that own firearms can know where you truly stand on the Second Amendment.
Sincerely,
Lawrence G. Keane