Effective Firearms Regulation Is Constitutional

[SecularMotion]

THE sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court brought renewed attention to one of his more heralded — and criticized — decisions: District of Columbia v. Heller, in which the court, by a 5-4 vote, held that the Second Amendment conferred an individual right “to keep and bear arms.”

The principal objection to tough gun laws is that they violate the Second Amendment. Opponents of gun control cite the 2008 Heller decision as proof that the Supreme Court agrees.

There is reason to doubt the soundness of that opinion. But even if the decision is not reversed, we believe it poses no obstacle for much stronger gun laws.

The need for tougher measures is clear. The federal law requiring a background check for a gun purchase can be summarized this way: People who want to buy guns have to submit to a background check, unless they don’t want to.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/24/opinion/effective-firearms-regulation-is-constitutional.html