Democracy Has Prevailed.

January 17, 2013

Some Thoughts On Guns

Read this.  I'll tell you who wrote it later:
There seems to us no doubt, on the basis of both text and history, that the Second Amendment conferred an individual right to keep and bear arms. Of course the right was not unlimited, just as the First Amendment ’s right of free speech was not, see, e.g., United States v. Williams, 553 U. S. ___ (2008). Thus, we do not read the Second Amendment to protect the right of citizens to carry arms for any sort of confrontation, just as we do not read the First Amendment to protect the right of citizens to speak for any purpose. [Emphases in original.]
And:
Although we do not undertake an exhaustive historical analysis today of the full scope of the Second Amendment , nothing in our opinion should be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms.
And:
We also recognize another important limitation on the right to keep and carry arms. Miller said, as we have explained, that the sorts of weapons protected were those “in common use at the time.” 307 U. S., at 179. We think that limitation is fairly supported by the historical tradition of prohibiting the carrying of “dangerous and unusual weapons.”
The text above says a few things: 2nd Amendment Rights are not unlimited, you have no constitutional right, for example, to posses just any weapon for just any purpose, no constitutional right to walk into a guv'ment building armed with an M1911, and no 2nd Amendment right to carry "dangerous and unusual weapons."  And so on.  To put it another way, The Constitution allows limitations on your 2nd Amendment rights.

So who wrote this crap?  What sort of lily-livered, soft-on-crime, blame-America-First lib'rul wrote this threat to our freedom?

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, that's who - DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA v. HELLER.

6 comments:

Social Justice NPC Anti-Paladin™ said...

Since no Amendment (such as 2th and 14th) is absolute, we can ban minorities for having firearms.

Afterall 12.6% of US pop cause 56.4% of Gun homicides

Since progressive cite the high US gun murder rate compared to Europe as a reason for more gun control/safely.

Ann Coulter: "If You Compare White Populations, We Have The Same Murder Rate As Belgium"
"So perhaps it's not a gun problem. It is a demographic problem."

Odd that no progressive site outraged by this obviously false and racist statement have been able to actually prove how false it is.

EdHeath said...

Did you see the Daily Show last night? Stewart did a good piece on how Congress has "castrated" (I believe the term he used at one point) the ATF, particularly back around 2006. It has not had its funding increased in the last ten years or so, I believe. It has to destroy background check records the day after they are completed, it can only inspect gun shops once a year (but that one doesn't matter because it doesn't have the manpower to even make yearly inspections), something about gun shops are not required to help the police and a few others.

It is sort of funny that Scalia is saying sensible limits on gun sales are OK Constitutionally, but a lot of those laws have already been scuttled by the NRA.

EdHeath said...

HTTT, that would be the legacy of slavery/racism in the US. Liberals (in both parties fifty years ago, mostly Democrats since the '70's) have taken what steps could be passed in Congress (based on the best information available at the time) to ameliorate that situation, conservatives (in both parties fifty years ago, Republicans since the '70's) have fought to maintain a racist structure in the US.

Since you are so concerned about how many African Americans are murdered with guns, you will no doubt join liberals in calling for a 90% tax on the top tier of earners, with the proceeds to go to higher Earned Income Credit payments.

Social Justice NPC Anti-Paladin™ said...

Ed,

In the spirit of bipartisan compromise if the Democrats retake back the House and keep the Senate in 2014, I will join liberals in calling for a 90% tax on the top tier (Upper %10) of earners with the proceeds to go to higher Earned Income Credit payments with the condition that anyone who receives the Earned Income Credit payments is banned from having firearms.

EdHeath said...

Funny, HTTT. You mock the murders of African Americans. You show a strong commitment to actually addressing problems.

Funny.

Social Justice NPC Anti-Paladin™ said...

Ed,
Glad to help with my humble solutions.

I have only a dumb solution that would lower the murders of African Americans but there is no way it would be implemented.

End the Drug War.

You are right that something should be done about the massive amount of George Zimmermans murdering African American.
Oh wait
94% of black victims were killed by blacks


I forgot to include that the Democrats have to campaign specifically on the 90% tax on the top 10% of earners for the 2014 elections.