Ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller, on June 26, 2008, the majority opinion declared that “The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.”
The question presented was:
“[W]hether a District of Columbia prohibition on the possession of usable handguns in the home violates the Second Amendment to the Constitution.”
The opinion
Read the full rulingPDF · 617.42 KBPublished by the Library of Congress.
Oral argument
Listen at the National ArchivesOffsiteThe Court's own audio archive begins with the 2010 term, so this argument is held by the National Archives rather than by supremecourt.gov.
