Supreme Court to hear D.C. gun case

WASHINGTON, March 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court is expected this week to hear a case challenging the District of Columbia's ban on personal firearms, a report said.

The case is especially significant because none of the high court's nine justices has ever ruled directly on the meaning of the Second Amendment, The Washington Post reported.

"This may be one of the only cases in our lifetime when the Supreme Court is going to be interpreting the meaning of an important provision of the Constitution unencumbered by precedent,'' Randy Barnett, a constitutional scholar at the Georgetown University Law Center, was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

Since 1976, the district has banned residents from carrying handguns. Residents may, however, keep a rifle or hunting gun in their homes, as long as it is locked and not loaded.

The case before the high court was brought by Washington resident Dick Anthony Heller. The private security guard wants to be able to bring his work-issued handgun home with him to protect himself.