Annie Get Your Gun - Supreme Court Overturns DC Handgun Ban

Legendary female sharpshooters aside, CNN puts a very real and female face on the debate that's erupting over today's Supreme Court decision overruling the handgun ban in Washington DC. Two female faces, in fact.

Gun Ownership and the Need to Feel Safe

Shelly Parker was a fortysomething software designer and single woman who bought a yellow house on what she thought was a "cute, quaint street" of rowhouses in an area of Washington DC undergoing gentrification. She moved into the house in February 2002, but by the time the warm weather arrived she realized her neighborhood was overrun by drug users and dealers. She took every precaution to protect herself and her home.

But having a dog and a security camera, calling the police repeatedly, and even organizing block meetings with her neighbors didn't make her safer. Instead, her vigilance made her the target of vandalism and harassment. Her car window was smashed. A rock was thrown through her front window. A drug user drove his car into her back fence.

The most terrifying incident occurred when a drug dealer repeatedly banged on her door, screaming "B****, I"ll kill you. I live on this block too." The advice police gave her? "Get a gun." Which was odd, considering it was illegal to own a handgun in DC.

Robert A. Levy was one of the attorneys who filed the lawsuit Parker v. District of Columbia, challenging the DC gun ban and citing rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment; he described the case and its implications in the National Review.

Gun Control and the Need to Feel Safe

Elilta Habtu was a second-semester senior at Virginia Tech, sitting in her German class in room 207 at Norris Hall when Seung-Hui Cho walked in. She was shot in the wrist, head, and jaw. Admitted to the hospital following the shooting, she was in serious but stable condition; the extent of her injuries required a one-month hospital stay.

One bullet still remains in her head, one millimeter from her brain. She suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has since become a gun-control advocate. Working with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, she has participated in 'lie-ins' in front of the Supreme Court and on the lawn of the Capitol representing the 32 victims who lost their lives at Virginia Tech.

What Safety Means

When men are interviewed as to their thoughts regarding the Second Amendment and gun control, they often use the word 'freedom.' When women are interviewed, they often mention safety. But 'safety' has different connotations depending on which end of the gun you're facing.

Shelly Parker wants a gun not as a symbol of freedom, but as a tangible way to defend herself. Elilta Habu, on the other hand, supports tighter gun control to prevent another Virginia Tech incident from happening.

Two voices, two faces. Two individual and very personal experiences involving gun control and the right to bear arms. Both women testified before the Supreme Court in March. One for, one against. And today, the Supreme Court handed down its decision.

Related articles:

• Supreme Court Backs Individual Gun Rights
• The Case the Court Ruled On: District of Columbia v. Heller
• In DC v. Heller, US Supreme Court Gives Gun Owners & the Second Amendment a Victory