[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14704]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  IN SUPPORT OF THE RECENT SUPREME COURT DECISION ON DC'S HANDGUN BAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DENNIS A. CARDOZA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 10, 2008

  Mr. CARDOZA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to offer my support for the 
recent decision made by the United States Supreme Court upholding the 
right of residents of the District of Columbia and elsewhere to keep 
and bear arms. On Thursday, June 26, 2008, the Court rightly struck 
down the decades old ban on handgun possession and ownership in the 
District of Columbia, one of the strictest bans in the country.
  Throughout my tenure in Congress, I have co-sponsored legislation to 
end this ban and to expand gun rights within the District to preserve 
the Second Amendment rights guaranteed to all Americans by the U.S. 
Constitution. Furthermore, I signed an amicus brief along with 249 
other members of this respected body opposing the District's gun ban 
and urging the Supreme Court to recognize its constitutional defects.
  In issuing its decision, the Court affirmed and protected the 
Constitution and the right of a sportsman to have a registered shotgun 
in his home and renewed the right of a homeowner to possess a handgun 
in order to protect one's family and property from intruders.
  While I certainly understand the desire to consider occurrences of 
violent crime when crafting gun control legislation, our country is 
based on the premise that enforcement of our fundamental rights cannot 
be haphazard. Our Founding Fathers fought for the individual liberties 
we all enjoy--among them, the right to possess firearms. This right, 
along with the freedom of the press or the privilege against self-
incrimination, must not be dismissed or diluted.
  As a hunter and gun rights advocate, I applaud the Supreme Court for 
its decision. I look forward to continuing my work in Congress to 
protect the integrity of the Second Amendment.

                          ____________________