Supreme Court Agrees To Hear D.C. Gun Ban Case

As expected, the Supreme Court announced today that it would hear the appeal of the District of Columbia in the twin cases that resulted in the District’s ban on handguns being declared unconstitutional earlier this year:

The Supreme Court announced today that it will decide whether the District of Columbia’s ban on handguns violates the Constitution, a choice that will put the justices at the center of the controversy over the meaning of the Second Amendment for the first time in nearly 70 years.

The court’s decision could have broad implications for gun-control measures locally and across the country, and will raise a hotly contested political issue just in time for the 2008 elections.

The court will hear the case after the first of the year. A decision likely would come before it adjourns at the end of June.

Now the battle begins.