See this CBS News article, and this gem of a quote:
“We’ve lost the battle on what the Second Amendment means,” campaign president Paul Helmke told ABC News. “Seventy-five percent of the public thinks it’s an individual right. Why are we arguing a theory anymore? We are concerned about what we can do practically.”
Yep. Of course, this is to be expected if Heller wins. They go on to say that a victory in Heller won’t really mean much, and could, in fact, mean that the NRA no longer can stoke the fears of gun owners that gun control will lead to confiscation. That’s not a poor analysis, but if the second amendment actually means something, I don’t see how that’s going to end with the Brady agenda remaining in tact.
While I have no doubt the federal judiciary will not interpret the second amendment as broadly as we would like, I don’t think the Brady Campaign will be entirely happy with the outcome either. Plus, if The Courts more or less settle the issue politically, gun control groups stand to lose a lot more than the NRA. The NRA will continue to exist even absent the political debate. Not that I actually believe the debate will ever be settled, but the gun control crowd will have to regroup, lower their goalposts, and see what ways the federal courts will allow them to agitate us.