Bob Barr Applauds Dick Anthony Heller and Other D.C. Residents for Continuing to Fight for Our Right to Own Firearms

“A little over a month ago, in District of Columbia v. Heller the U.S. Supreme held that the Second Amendment of the Constitution guaranteed individuals the right to own a gun,” notes Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party candidate for president. “That decision required the District to drop its ban on firearm ownership. Unfortunately, however, the city’s response to Heller demonstrates why gun owners can never take their rights for granted.”

The city council “has approved new regulations that make gun ownership as difficult and inconvenient as possible. Residents aren’t even supposed to keep their guns loaded, as if a criminal breaking into their house would give them time to get ready to defend themselves,” says Barr. Indeed, Mayor Adrian Fenty admitted that he wanted to err on the side of restricting firearm ownership. “But the Constitution requires that public officials err on the side of protecting the people’s liberties,” insists Barr. “That includes the right to own a gun.”

Now Dick Anthony Heller, after whom the original case was named, and his fellow plaintiffs have again filed suit against the District to vindicate their constitutional rights. “Dick Anthony Heller and others like him deserve our gratitude, since they are fighting for all Americans. The Supreme Court decision in Heller is a major step forward, but we must continue to be ever vigilant in the face of persistent attacks on our rights. We must to continue to fight to ensure that governments at all levels respect our constitutional right to own firearms,” explains Barr, a strong gun advocate in Congress and member of the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association.

Barr represented the 7th District of Georgia in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003, where he served as a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, as Vice-Chairman of the Government Reform Committee, and as a member of the Committee on Financial Services. Prior to his congressional career, Barr was appointed by President Reagan to serve as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, and also served as an official with the CIA.

Since leaving Congress, Barr has been practicing law and has teamed up with groups ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union to the American Conservative Union to actively advocate every American citizen’s right to privacy and other civil liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Along with this, Bob is committed to helping elect leaders who will strive for smaller government, lower taxes and abundant individual freedom.