Webb Praises Supreme Court Gun Ruling

Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), whose aide was arrested last year for attempting to enter a Senate office building with one of the senator’s firearms, praised the Supreme Court on Thursday for striking down the District of Columbia’s ban on handguns.

“I strongly believe that the Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees the American people the right to defend themselves, particularly in their own homes," Webb said in a statement.

"With today’s decision, the right to gun ownership is now the settled law of the land.”

The aide, Phillip Thompson, was eventually cleared of all charges in the March 2007 incident. Thompson said Webb had given him the gun for “safekeeping” and subsequently forgot the handgun was in his briefcase as he passed through security.

Immediately following the incident, Webb was evasive about the incident, saying only that it was unfortunate.

“I have never carried a gun in the Capitol complex, and I did not give the weapon to Phillip Thompson, and that’s all that I think I’ll say,” Webb said during a press conference after the arrest.

However, Webb aides told Politico the senator had to be vague, as he didn’t want to prejudice the investigation against Thompson, which was ongoing at the time.