Citing the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling clarifying that individuals have the right to possess firearms to defend themselves, a Tennessee judge advised the victim of an aggravated robbery last week that she should learn how to use a gun for personal protection.

Chattanooga, Tenn. General Sessions Court Judge Bob Moon told the woman--who had been pulled from her car and beaten in the head--that she or her mother should “purchase a weapon, obtain a gun permit and learn to protect yourself.”

According to a report in The Chattanoogan newspaper, Judge Moon said “The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that all citizens have a right to purchase a weapon to defend themselves, their families and their homes--unless there is some disqualification that prevents them from owning a weapon.”

The Tennessee judge was of course referring to the June 26 U.S. Supreme Court decision that found the District of Columbia’s 32-year ban on handgun possession unconstitutional, effectively ruling that individual citizens have the right to firearms ownership.

In referring the victim’s alleged assailant over to the Grand Jury, the outspoken judge noted that citizens should not rely on law enforcement to protect them under all circumstances.

Moon said that crime in Chattanooga “has become so rampant that it is no longer possible for the police department to protect our citizens.”

The gun-rights bloggers have been having a field day with Judge Moon’s courtroom comments during the past week, but here at The Newhound, his outspoken demeanor didn’t particularly surprise me.

That’s because the fine Volunteer-state barrister used to write a column on hunting and the law for a magazine I edited in the late 1980s, when he served as a municipal court judge in Signal Mountain, Tenn. So, I’ve known Judge Moon as a dedicated whitetail hunter, Second Amendment defender and patriot for more than 20 years.

It’s nice to see that he’s being introduced to a new legion of fans.

Way to go, Bob!