In the late 1970's DC put a law in to effect that banned people from owning handguns, and required people to keep rifles and shotguns dissambled. A man by the name of Heller got transferred to DC by his company but under DC law could not bring his guns with him. He sued saying this law violated his 2nd Amendment rights. So with that here are the key facts:
1. Is the 2nd Amendment an individual right or is it a collective right (IE the militia)
2) If it is an individual right then is the law in DC overeaching in its restrictions? In other words no right is absolute you can not shout fire in a crowded theater.
It is a huge deal because for the first time ever the Supreme Court confirmed that people do have an indivdual right to own a gun. It is still ongoing debate because the Court only adressed the fact that people have a right to own guns. It did not dive in to topics such as the Brady Bill, excessive taxes on ammunition, all of which are highly relevant given Obama's record on voting with regard to the 2nd Amendment.
