The problemwith gun control laws is that they don't control guns. For example, Washington, D.C., forbids private ownership of firearms - yet Washington suffers hundreds of murders by illicit pistols that slip through the ban.

America is so saturated with guns - about 200 million, according to estimates - that laws barely dent the infestation of unlicensed pistols hidden in pockets or tucked under car seats.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will plunge into the firearms fray for the first time since 1939 (when the high court ruled that the constitutional "right of the people to keep and bear arms" doesn't let anyone have a sawed-off shotgun under his coat).

Specifically, the high court is to rule on whether Washington's gun ban is legal. Officials in the nation's capital contend that the Second Amendment allows gun ownership only for "a well-regulated militia," as its language implies. Gun-loving challengers contend that the amendment entitles virtually anyone to bear arms, a view shared by many political conservatives.

After Tuesday's hearing, the justices will begin deliberations for a future ruling. Since several of them were appointed by Republican presidents, observers say the court may interpret the Second Amendment to allow individual pistol-packing, as well as arming of militias.

However, even if they favor private gun-carrying, they still may require strict licensing of pistols - and deny them to children, criminals, alcoholics, psychotics, drug addicts, wife-bashers and the like. Such limits already apply in most of America, outside of Washington.

Licensed pistols in the hands of sober, intelligent, responsible adults aren't the worst problem. Neither are rifles and shotguns used by hunters. Instead, the real menace is millions of illicit pistols, and some assault weapons, currently possessed by unlicensed Americans. They're the chief cause of America's horrifying gun murder rate - a toll hundreds of times higher than in nations with genuine gun control.

No matter how the Supreme Court rules, we hope U.S. leaders finally try to protect Americans from the pistol carnage. Maybe the solution will entail development of scanners enabling police to see hidden weapons among street crowds. Perhaps that would weed out the unlicensed guns that laws cannot stop.

America is so saturated with guns - about 200 million, according to estimates - that laws barely dent the infestation of unlicensed pistols hidden in pockets or tucked under car seats.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will plunge into the firearms fray for the first time since 1939 (when the high court ruled that the constitutional "right of the people to keep and bear arms" doesn't let anyone have a sawed-off shotgun under his coat).

Specifically, the high court is to rule on whether Washington's gun ban is legal. Officials in the nation's capital contend that the Second Amendment allows gun ownership only for "a well-regulated militia," as its language implies. Gun-loving challengers contend that the amendment entitles virtually anyone to bear arms, a view shared by many political conservatives.

After Tuesday's hearing, the justices will begin deliberations for a future ruling. Since several of them were appointed by Republican presidents, observers say the court may interpret the Second Amendment to allow individual pistol-packing, as well as arming of militias.

However, even if they favor private gun-carrying, they still may require strict licensing of pistols - and deny them to children, criminals, alcoholics, psychotics, drug addicts, wife-bashers and the like. Such limits already apply in most of America, outside of Washington.

Licensed pistols in the hands of sober, intelligent, responsible adults aren't the worst problem. Neither are rifles and shotguns used by hunters. Instead, the real menace is millions of illicit pistols, and some assault weapons, currently possessed by unlicensed Americans. They're the chief cause of America's horrifying gun murder rate - a toll hundreds of times higher than in nations with genuine gun control.

No matter how the Supreme Court rules, we hope U.S. leaders finally try to protect Americans from the pistol carnage. Maybe the solution will entail development of scanners enabling police to see hidden weapons among street crowds. Perhaps that would weed out the unlicensed guns that laws cannot stop.