OPINION > AROUND THE WATER COOLER

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:

Do you agree with the Supreme Court's ruling affirming the right to have guns for self-defense in the home?

Yes: 5

No: 6

■ Karen Anderson: Yes. I think the issue was hand guns but I still agree. You have a right to defend your home and family.

■ Bert Berson: No. To quote Antonin Scalia, "It will almost certainly cause more Americans to be killed."

■ Chris Bryant: No response.

■ David Cohen: No. While not advocating a total gun ban, I do not believe people need to keep weapons in their homes.

■ Dennis Kennedy: No. I believe local jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia, especially in situations where gun crime is rampant, should have the right to regulate where guns can be allowed.

■ Julian Mancias: Yes. However, I also agree with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia'a opinion that the "Second amendment right to bear arms is not unlimited."

■ Linda McNulty: No. This will lead to more violence and accidental shootings. We live in a different world now and other methods exist for self defense.

■ Lisa Pampuch: No. The Second Amendment refers to "a well-regulated militia" in relation to the right to bear arms; Supreme Court seems to have ignored that phrase.

■ John Quick: Yes I agree. The reasonable right to bear arms is core to the right to overturn a government run rampant. It is a control on unreasonable governance - which the Bush Administration has come closer to than any administration in the history of this country.

■ Emily Shem-Tov: "No, but it was good that it didn't rule out all sound regulations and restrictions in place to keep people safe from guns."

■ Steve Staloch: Yes, but the ruling does not change certain restrictions to the Second Amendment such as access to guns by felons and the mentally ill, and certain arms deemed illegal to possess. It is difficult to argue that the Second Amendment does not guarantee the right to have guns in the home for any reason, including self-defense.

■ Maureen Webb: Yes, I do agree with the Supreme Court's ruling. I hope the adults who own a gun for self-defense keep it under lock and key to prevent potential tragedies in the home.



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