WASHINGTON – Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL), Chairman of the House Republican Conference, issued the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller that the District’s handgun ban violates the Second Amendment:

“Today, the Supreme Court has confirmed the importance and the integrity of a right Americans have held dear since the early days of our Republic. Moreover, the Court has rightly reaffirmed what judges and legal experts have been saying for centuries now, that the Second Amendment deals with a right of individuals, unconnected from service in militias. This decision is also a strong rebuke to anti-self defense advocates who would stand in the way of Americans lawfully using firearms to protect their families and businesses.

“While this decision is a victory for individual liberty, this debate is not over, and the legal back-and-forth will undoubtedly pick up coast-to-coast. We should also use this opportunity to keep in mind how important it is to have judges on the bench that will interpret our Constitution and laws as they are written.”