Probably the Correct Ruling on Guns

Given my prior criticism of the Second Amendment ("18th Century Wisdom in the 21st Century") it would be reasonable to assume I'm aghast at the Supreme Court's decision striking down a handgun ban and a requirement for trigger locks. While I haven't read through all the opinions in detail yet, though, I think it was probably a reasonable interpretation of the Second Amendment. I've never denied that the Second Amendment exists, nor do I believe in simply ignoring the Amendments that are inconvenient (see, for example, DUI checkpoints).

Now that the field has been somewhat defined by the Supreme Court, the battle can begin in earnest in our legislatures to define what regulations we, as a society, think are appropriate. Banning is out of the question. Rendering the guns unavailable for self-defense is off the table. But even Scalia acknowledges some restrictions are okay.

Before yesterday's decision, the extremists on both sides were in a black and white world. Some thought that total banning was constitutional, some thought that any restrictions at all was unconstitutional. We're all in a gray world, now, and much work remains to be done.