The American Civil Rights Union, which filed amicus briefs in support of Heller at every stage of the case, called today’s Supreme Court decision “a long overdue return to the Constitution.”

In deciding DC v. Heller, the Supreme Court upheld individual Americans’ right to own guns, overturning the District of Columbia’s ban on guns–a decision fully in accordance with the Constitution’s Second Amendment, which reads “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

“The United States’ formation was fundamentally affected by the fact that most individuals were armed. The equality that necessarily resulted from a well-armed populace–and the national security guaranteed by the coordinated action by these individuals–made our country what it is,” said Peter Ferrara, General Counsel to the ACRU and the author of the ACRU’s amicus briefs. “It bodes well for our future liberty and safety that the Supreme Court recognizes and gives Americans the full protection of the Second Amendment.”