District of Columbia v. Heller
The Court held that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep handguns at home for self-defense.
Overview
Washington DC banned handgun possession and required trigger locks on lawfully owned guns. Dick Heller, a security guard, challenged the ban. Justice Scalia, for a 5-4 majority, conducted an exhaustive originalist analysis of text and history, concluding that the amendment protects an individual right unconnected with militia service, with the handgun protected as the preeminent self-defense weapon. Traditional regulations such as felon dispossession and licensing remain permissible. Heller was the first time the Court struck down a gun law on Second Amendment grounds, followed by McDonald and Bruen.
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