On March 9, 2007, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued its ruling on Parker v. District of Columbia.  In a 2-1 ruling the Court declared the District of Columbia’s gun ban unconstitutional. Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson added his support to an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to recognize the Second Amendment right to bear arms as an individual right.  

The majority opinion stated:  “The phrase ‘the right of the people' . . . leads us to conclude that the right in question is individual.” 

“I completely agree with the Court’s opinion on this issue,” Simpson said.  “Gun ownership in America has been a recognized right under our Constitution since its ratification.”

The case has been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and is scheduled to be heard early this year as District of Columbia v. Heller.

The amicus brief garnered the support 250 Congressmen, 55 Senators, and the President of the Senate, Dick Cheney. 

“Our brief clearly outlines to the Supreme Court that throughout history Congress has explicitly affirmed that the Second Amendment is not limited to militias, but is in fact an individual right.”  Simpson said.  

“There is no doubt that the Supreme Court’s decision will profoundly impact the rights of American gun owners.  At such a pivotal time I am proud to lend my voice to support Americans’ Constitutional rights,” Simpson said.

The brief was filed with the Supreme Court last Friday and has the support of the National Rifle Association (NRA).