Congressman Dan Lungren, member of the House Judiciary Committee,  today issued the following statement regarding the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Second Amendment rights of D.C. residents:

"Today's ruling by the Supreme Court to uphold the right to own handguns for Washington D.C. residents is significant for all law abiding Americans. This decision affirms that the 2nd Amendment is a Constitutional right granted to individuals and not merely members of the militia. February of this year, I joined Sen. John McCain and others in signing an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court supporting today's decision.

"The decision of our nation's highest court reaffirms the principle that the right to keep and bear arms is as much individual liberty worthy of protection as the freedom of speech, the freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures and other elements of our Bill of Rights.

"To have denied this first principle of constitutional jurisprudence would have potentially jeopardized other constitutional protections as well.  The decision of the Court is thus a victory for all Americans and the security of their rights."