ATTORNEY GENERAL J.B. VAN HOLLEN PRAISES UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT'S DECISION IN HELLER

Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen released the following statement on today's Supreme Court decision in District of Columbia v. Heller
(available at http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/07pdf/07-290.pdf):

"At my request, the State Assembly took prompt action to pass a resolution that authorized me to file a brief with the Supreme Court in the Heller case. I used this opportunity to advocate for the right to bear arms and to point out that the wrong decision might give license to the federal government's unwarranted intrusion into our traditional rights and the rights established by Wisconsin's constitution.

"Today's decision vindicates those rights. The Court's decision recognizes that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to use firearms for lawful purposes, including personal security. This right doesn't depend on a connection with a militia; it is an individual right. This individual right is what the founders intended, and I believe this is what the people of Wisconsin intended when they overwhelmingly amended our state constitution to expressly protect the right to keep and bear arms for security, defense, hunting, recreation or any other lawful purpose.'

"The Second Amendment protects a critical and fundamental individual right. Our founders recognized this essential freedom when they adopted the Bill of Rights. The people of Wisconsin recognize this essential freedom. And today, the Court has formally recognized this freedom in this landmark decision."