Right to own guns: McDonnell yes ... Kaine no

It does not get much plainer than this. The Governor and the Attorney General are on opposite sides of the second amendment debate. Should Americans have the right to bear arms?

McDonnell says yes ... Kaine says no.

According to NBC 12:

For decades D.C. residents have been unable to own or possess handguns. That could be about to change. A few years ago, a D.C. resident [who was] fed up with the district's ban on handguns went to court to challenge the law. He won favorable rulings and finally a D.C. appeals court sided with him, agreeing that the second amendment right to bear arms was an individual right.

When asked about this case, Attorney General Bob McDonnell said:

“This is the most important second amendment case in all of history. Virginia has pretty much always understood it to be an individual right and so the gun laws in Virginia have reflected that philosophy.”

As a result, AG McDonnell has filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting an individual's right to bear arms and calling for an overturn of the D.C. handgun ban.

Where does Kaine stand on this issue? He believes the ban on handguns should stay on the books in D.C., saying:

“I don't support overturning what D.C. has done in this instance but the AG has by statute clear ability to file legal briefs in his capacity as attorney general and you know that could lead him to file briefs I don't completely agree with but the statute is very plain.”

The case will be debated before the U.S. Supreme Court in March.