Beware gun owners; if you beat your spouse or otherwise violate "domestic-violence laws" you may lose your rights to legally own a gun. The US Supreme Court, in a 7 to 2 decision, upheld a federal law "barring people convicted of domestic-violence crimes from owning guns". The ruling also stated that "state laws against battery need not specifically mention domestic- violence to fall under the domestic-violence gun ban". The 1996 federal law was authored by Sen Frank Lautenberg of NJ and has kept "150,000 guns out of the hands of domestic abusers? This case involved a Randy Edward Hayes of West Virginia (It should be also noted that a gun could still be illegally owned if purchased by a straw buyer). This is the first gun case since the DC ruling supporting individual ownership of guns.
(Source: "Supreme Court upholds gun curb" by the AP. The Record on February 25, 2009).
Up-date: This case was originally ruled against the federal law by the 4th Circuit court of Appeals. At the US Supreme Court level Justices Roberts and Scalia were the two who voted in opposition. The case is US v. Hayes 2009.
(Source: " Googled" Supreme Court cases.)
You say that the SC "supported individual owenership of guns", but they did not, they effectively restricetd the right to own a gun, if you were domestically violent.
ReplyDeleteIn DC v. Heller 2008, they did support gun ownership, though.
Pls clarify what you meant.