The United States Supreme Court recently agreed to hear a critical Second Amendment case, McDonald v. City of Chicago, which will determine whether the Second Amendment applies to the states. Last year, the Supreme Court rejected the District of Columbia's ban on handguns and declared that the Second Amendment of the Constitution protects an individual right to own a firearm. Now the Court has an opportunity to ensure that the Second Amendment applies to Americans in every state, not just those living under federal jurisdiction in our nation’s capital. The oral arguments for the case will occur on March 2, 2010.

I strongly believe the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to own a firearm and must apply to all states. While I am a strong supporter of states’ rights, the Supreme Court has already found that the Fourteenth Amendment protects many constitutional rights against abuse by state and local governments, and this standard should certainly apply to the Second Amendment. As such, I have joined 309 Representatives and Senators in sharing this opinion with the Supreme Court by filing an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief. It is my hope that the Supreme Court upholds an individual right to bear arms for every American.