Washington - The Supreme Court struck down a 30-year-old ban on all hand guns in the US capital city on Thursday and affirmed an individual's right to own firearms in the United States. It was the first time in 70 years that the highest US court examined whether the US constitution guarantees gun ownership in the country and the most sweeping decision to date.
The District of Colombia has effectively banned its residents from owning hand guns in the city since 1976, arguing it was necessary to keep down violent crime in the city.
The Supreme Court in a narrow 5-4 decision said that the second amendment to the US constitution protects an individual's right to own a gun - an issue which had never been fully resolved by the court.
