US Supreme Court

Well, on the bright side, it would appear that the fundamental Right to Bear Arms will be upheld:

• Americans have a right to own guns, Supreme Court justices declared Tuesday in a historic and lively debate that could lead to the most significant interpretation of the Second Amendment since its ratification two centuries ago.

The scope of government regulation permitted will be the key component of the US Supreme Court decision (above link to FT.com - registration may be required):

• The most difficult question for the court is: what kind of laws can governments pass to restrict the constitutional right to keep and bear a gun?

  Chief Justice John Roberts made clear that the DC law would not meet his test as a reasonable regulation of firearms ownership. “What is reasonable about a total ban on possession of handguns?” he asked. But several other justices defended the ban as a reasonable response to the crime problem in America’s capital city.

  Mr Heller’s lawyer said the court could find that Americans have an individual right to own guns but still allow governments to regulate some types of weapons, such as machine guns, and who can own them.

The talk among Gun Rights advocates is that they are willing to settle for a partial victory permitting households to own firearms because that will give them a lever to take down New York and Chicago total handgun bans. It would also derail various bills the Cook County board is attempting to pass and give ammunition to plenty to other Gun Rights groups to challenge ill conceived rules that only serve to disarm the law abiding.

It's a start.