Washington, D.C. - Marking today's hearing of District of Columbia v. Heller, Libertarian Party Executive Director Shane Cory issued the following statement:
Today, the Supreme Court heard the case that will determine the future of gun rights in America for decades to come. We hope that the justices will remember that the individual right to keep and bear arms is essential for the protection of life, liberty and property. Without the ability for an individual to keep and bear arms, free from undue government regulation such as the District of Columbia's outright ban on handguns, citizens are left vulnerable to the violence of criminals. Constraints on the right to free speech are immediately rejected as an endangerment to liberty in the United States. We feel that those on the Second Amendment should also be rejected in that same spirit, as we point out in our amicus curiae brief filed in support of Heller. The only acceptable outcome to this case is to uphold the ruling that the District of Columbia has no Constitutional right to deny law-abiding individuals the right to keep and bear firearms.
The Libertarian Party is dedicated to a strict adherence to the Constitution and the protection of rights both natural and enumerated, including the right of an individual to keep and bear arms in the defense of life, liberty and property. The Libertarian Party filed an amicus curiae brief in support of Heller in the D.C. gun case, which can be found at http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/07-290_amicus_lnc.pdf.
The Libertarian Party is America's third largest political party, founded in 1971 as an alternative to the two main political parties. You can find more information on the Libertarian Party by visiting www.lp.org. The Libertarian Party proudly stands for smaller government, lower taxes and more freedom.
For more information on this issue, or to arrange an interview, please call Andrew Davis at (202) 333-0008 during normal business hours, or at (202) 731-0002 during any other time.
