Supreme Court Gun Control Ruling Disappointing http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=849241&ct=5613801 June 26, 2008 - New York - The American Jewish Committee today expressed disappointment over the United States Supreme Court's ruling that the District of Columbia's strict gun control regulation is unconstitutional. "Gun control protects liberty, rather than restricts it," said AJC General Counsel Jeffrey Sinensky. Although interpreting the Second Amendment to include a private right of citizens to own and keep handguns for hunting and self-defense, the High Court also makes clear that its ruling does not override a number of existing restrictions on firearms. "This decision, importantly, does not impair the ability of local and state governments to pass sensible and effective gun control laws which protect citizens," said Sinensky. AJC, as part of a coalition of religious and non-governmental organizations, urged the court in an amicus brief to uphold the District of Columbia strict regulations arguing that the Second Amendment does not protect the right to possess firearms for personal use, but rather "was designed to enhance state and local authority to protect life and liberty through the maintenance of militias composed of the local populace." The coalition included the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Congress, National Council of Jewish Women, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.