Gun-control case divides administration

WASHINGTON, March 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday will hear arguments on whether the Second Amendment's right to bear arms is for individuals or tied to service in a militia.

At issue is the constitutionality of the District of Columbia's gun-control law, considered the strictest in the country, The New York Times reported Monday. It bars the private possession of handguns, and requires rifles and shotguns to be kept either disassembled or in a trigger lock.

The appeal also stirred controversy within the Bush administration about the brief filed by Solicitor General Paul Clement that a declaration by the Supreme Court that the Second Amendment protects an individual right would not be nearly enough. Some say the brief falls short and ask the justices to declare the law unconstitutional.

Vice President Dick Cheney was so irked by Clement's approach he took the unusual step -- for a vice president -- of signing on to a brief filed by more than 300 congressional members asking the high court to declare the District of Columbia law unconstitutional, the Times reported.

The congressional brief asserts "no purpose would be served by remanding this case for further fact finding or other proceedings."