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On March 9, 2007, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled in the Parker v. District of Columbia case (now known as District of Columbia v. Heller) that D.C.'s handgun ban is unconstitutional. This marked the first time in history that a federal court had struck down a gun law on Second Amendment grounds. D.C.'s elected officials spoke out immediately and forcefully against the decision and petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review the ruling. On November 20, 2007, the Court agreed to do so. The Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence filed an amicus brief in the case, affirming the right of D.C.'s elected officials and residents to determine their own public safety laws. Unfortunately, on June 26, 2008, the Supreme Court embraced the Parker decision and overturned several of the District's gun laws in a 5-4 ruling. The Court's decision, however, affirmed that a wide variety of firearm regulations are constitutional and permissible, including licensing and registration.
| District of Columbia v. Heller Headlines |
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| Oral arguments in the Heller case generated intense public interest. |
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| Editorials on District of Columbia v. Heller |
- District of Columbia v. Heller Frequently Asked Questions
- Statement by Ed Fund Executive Director Josh Horwitz before the D.C. Council regarding the Heller decision
- Ed Fund press release in response to Heller decision
- Full text (pdf) of District of Columbia v. Heller decision by U.S. Supreme Court
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The Ed Fund's amicus brief (pdf) in support of the District of Columbia in the Heller case
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DC's petition (pdf) to the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case and the appendix (pdf) to that document
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Full text (pdf) of Parker v. District of Columbia decision by U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
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