There are a bunch of reasons why the Heller case presents the best opportunity in a long, long time for the Supreme Court to adopt a strong individual rights view of the Second Amendment. There's the recent change in the composition of the Court. There's the recent pro-individual rights scholarship. Both are tremendously important. But I wonder if we should also note the influence of this chart:


(Source: U.S. Dept. of Justice)

  Of course, I'm not suggesting that this chart should influence the Court. But I would guess that the reality it represents -- the fact that violent crime rates have plummeted in the last few years -- has helped create a more friendly audience for Heller's arguments.