Gun views across the pond

As has been dominating the US headlines today, the US Supreme Court finally ruled that the individual right to bear arms is protected by the Second Amendment, though reasonable limitations can be applied. I was slightly surprised that the decision was split 5-4, considering the vast majority of the American people and politicians have been operating under this assumption for decades. It's unfortunate that every single decision has to become an ideological test instead of an application of some common sense. Even Barack Obama, who is loath to involve himself too intimately in this debate, has stated that he believes in an individual right guaranteed by the constitution.

I didn't even bother checking the left leaning papers, but the comments at Lefigaro.fr have been interesting to say the least. As always there are plenty who simply point out the huge US crime rate compared with other Western countries, and wonder what French riots would be like if les voyous could legally arm themselves to the teeth, but a fair few are also quite critical of France's restrictive laws and treatment of those who defend themselves against criminals only to find themselves in legal trouble.