Gorsuch Backs Individual Right to Keep and Bear Arms: It's The Law of The Land

Testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday, Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch backed the District of Columbia v. Heller decision as the "law of the land" which must be upheld. 

"Heller is the law of the land," Gorsuch said under questioning from Senator Dianne Feinstein, a staunch gun control advocate. "It's not a matter of agree or disagree, it's a matter of upholding the law."

As a reminder, the Heller decision solidified the right of an individual to keep and bear arms. The 5-4 opinion was delivered by Justice Antonin Scalia in 2008. 

"We consider whether a District of Columbia prohibition on the possession of usable handguns in the home violates the Second Amendment to the Constitution," the opinion read. "In sum, we hold that the District’s ban on handgun possession in the home violates the Second Amendment, as does its prohibition against rendering any lawful firearm in the home operable for the purpose of immediate self-defense. Assuming that Heller is not disqualified from the exercise of Second Amendment rights, the District must permit him to register his handgun and must issue him a license to carry it in the home."