A Second Amendment victory in District of Columbia v. Heller would have two important effects: First, it would save the lives of D.C. residents.  Second, it would promote gun-rights consciousness in the U.S. - school textbook publishers will no longer be able to pretend the Second Amendment pertains only to the National Guard and students will learn about the Second Amendment as an ordinary right, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.

Conservatives should be hopeful that Kopel's predictions will ring true in light of this constitutional decision.  D.C. residents can now enjoy their full set of rights thanks to the 5-4 ruling upholding the Second Amendment.

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Reading the Second Amendment as protecting only the right to “keep and bear Arms” in an organized militia therefore fits poorly with the operative clause’s description of the holder of that right as “the people.”

We start therefore with a strong presumption that the Second Amendment right is exercised individually and belongs to all Americans.

Scalia goes on to define what "arms" are:

The term was applied, then as now, to weapons that were not specifically designed for military use and were not employed in a military capacity.

And then he looks at the history of the period when the Constitution was written:

The phrase “keep arms” was not prevalent in the written documents of the founding period that we have found, but there are a few examples, all of which favor viewing the right to “keep Arms” as an individual right unconnected with militia service.

... 

From our review of founding-era sources, we conclude that this natural meaning was also the meaning that “bear arms” had in the 18th century. In numerous instances, “bear arms” was unambiguously used to refer to the carrying of weapons outside of an organized militia.

 In a 5-4 decision the court declared it is “unconstitutional” to ban gun ownership, thereby making such laws illegal. Before the ruling DC had one of the most stringent bans in the nation, forbidding anyone to own a handgun who did not own one before the law was originally enacted in 1976.

Just in time for the General Election -- and the Supreme Court's decision on the D.C. gun ban -- Obama is readying himself to reverse his position on Second Amendment rights.

From ABC.com:

ABC News' Teddy Davis and Alexa Ainsworth Report: With the Supreme Court poised to rule on Washington, D.C.'s, gun ban, the Obama campaign is disavowing what it calls an "inartful" statement to the Chicago Tribune last year in which an unnamed aide characterized Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., as believing that the DC ban was constitutional.

Asked by ABC News' Charlie Gibson if he considers the D.C. law to be consistent with an individual's right to bear arms at ABC's April 16, 2008, debate in Philadelphia, Obama said, "Well, Charlie, I confess I obviously haven't listened to the briefs and looked at all the evidence."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., by contrast, has been forthcoming when it comes to the D.C. gun law. 
He signed an amicus brief in the District of Columbia v. Heller case, signaling not only his belief in the Second Amendment but also his view that the DC gun ban is incompatible with it.

The D.C. ban prohibits residents from keeping handguns inside their homes and requires that lawfully registered guns, such as shotguns, be locked and unloaded when kept at home.

Today John McCain issued this statement on the DC gun ban case:

Today, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on District of Columbia v. Heller, a landmark case for all Americans who believe as I do that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms. I am proud to have joined in an amicus brief to the Court calling for a ruling in keeping with the clear intent of our Founding Fathers, which ensures the Second Amendment rights of the residents of District of Columbia are reaffirmed.

An armed citizen surprised four men who robbed him at gunpoint last week.

After being ordered to his knees, Russel Olofson warned the men that "they should think about it," according to an Orlando police report released this week.

A private investigator with military training, Olofson, 24, told police the robbers snatched his cell phone and a wallet containing his concealed-weapon permit shortly before 10 p.m. Friday outside Ridge Club Apartments.

After the robbers took his items, Olofson stood up, drew his Springfield XD sub-compact 9 mm handgun "and fired two rounds toward male #1 with the silver handgun, possibly striking him," the report states. "Males #2, #3, and #4 then ran southeast . . . and male #1 ran northeast . . ."

Robert Pierce Jr. said he became suspicious when Cook, 22, of Easton, and Wright, 22, of Newark, N.J., who were walking behind him, picked up their pace and narrowed the gap as all three made their way to S. 11th Street about 5:30 p.m. Dec. 4. Pierce said he didn't know either man but knew something was wrong when he heard them call out ''Yo,'' or ''Hey.''

Cook, Pierce said, pulled out a handgun, which he pressed to Pierce's back, then his head, and both men warned him to be quiet and dragged him a short distance. ''That's when I took the chance and pulled my gun,'' Pierce testified Friday during a preliminary hearing before District Judge Michael Koury of Wilson.

Pierce said he fired into the air and Wright ran. Cook returned fire and, Pierce said, appeared to be positioning himself to shoot him. Pierce said he aimed for Cook's legs and squeezed off another round. Cook, who had been shot in the abdomen, took off running. Pierce yelled to a man who had come out of a nearby market to call for help, then he walked the short distance to his fiancee's mother's home on Lehigh Street and told her to call police...

''I decided I was gonna fight back,'' said Pierce, who has a permit to carry a concealed weapon. He was not charged with a crime.