NEWTOWN, Conn., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) - the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry - welcomed today's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case of McDonald v. City of Chicago. The appeal to the nation's highest court was brought about when the National Rifle Association and a group of firearms owners in Chicago challenged Chicago's ordinance that essentially bans the private ownership of firearms in the city. A lower federal appeals court ruled earlier that the Second Amendment does not apply to the states and municipalities, allowing Chicago's ban on firearms to stand.

"The firearms industry welcomes the opportunity for the Supreme Court to rule that the Second Amendment is a fundamental individual right that has existed even before the founding of our Republic and that cannot be ignored, trampled upon or disregarded by state and local governments," said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel.

Last year in its landmark Heller decision, the Supreme Court struck down Washington, D.C.'s handgun ban that was substantially similar to Chicago's ordinance, ruling that Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to keep and bear arms and rejecting arguments that the amendment applies only to state militias. In Heller, because the District of Columbia is a federal entity and not one of the 50 states, the Supreme Court did not reach the question of whether the Second Amendment is a fundamental right that applies to the states and local governments. That question is now fully before the high court. "The Second Amendment protects the right of self defense and nothing could be more fundamental than protecting your live, your family and your liberty," added Keane. "Just imagine if freedom of religion or freedom of speech could be infringed upon by state and local governments."

About NSSF

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of approximately 5,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen's organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

SOURCE National Shooting Sports Foundation

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