Gun Rights and Barack Obama

In his speech yesterday, Barack Obama challenged each and every one of us to commit ourselves to building a better society. He gave us hope for the future.

At almost the same moment, just a few hours south from Philadelphia, the Justices of the Supreme Court explained exactly why our hope may be misplaced.

During oral argument in District of Columbia v. Heller, the Justices gave every indication that they would uphold an individual right to bear arms. Struck down in the process: D.C.'s near-ban on handguns.

Let me repeat that -- the unelected Justices will strike down a handgun ban that was passed by an elected city council. That was passed in response to the public's concern about an epidemic of crime. That was passed in a city with one of the highest murder rates in the nation.

Judicial restraint? Out the window.

But the hypocrisy of certain members of the Court is not even the issue here. Remember, this is the same Supreme Court that struck down local school desegregation plans. We shouldn't be surprised.

The problem is the real impact of these decisions. On the streets surrounding the Supreme Court, just blocks away from that imposing marble structure, Americans live in deep poverty. They attend segregated schools. Their neighbors have guns. And the Supreme Court just made their lives a little more dangerous.

Barack Obama showed us that underclass yesterday. He acknowledged America in all its ugliness and beauty. He told us we have the power to change our society for the better.

But as long as an unelected institution continues to make decisions without regard for their real-world impact, the time for change may never come.