District of Columbia V. Heller: The Right to Bear Arms Case (Landmark Supreme Court Cases, Gold Edition)

On June 26, 2008, the Supreme Court announced its decision in the case of DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA V. HELLER. By a vote of 5 to 4, the court struck down a ban on guns as a violation of the Second Amendment. Still, the debate rages on. Does a private citizen still have the right to own a gun for self-defense of the home? Did the government have the right to restrict an entire class of weapons, either by levying taxes or banning them altogether? Tom Streissguth looks at all of the sides of this complex and controversial legal debate.