no third solution » Gun Control
On the D.C. Firearms Ban
In the news yesterday was the Supreme Court’s announcement that it will finally revisit (early next year) the beleaguered Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The question this time around is over the constitutionality of the District of Columbia’s “regulation” which was struck down last year, after thirty years of oppressing those who live in the District. The “regulation” in question: [P]rohibits residents from registering and possessing handguns in almost all circumstances. The District also requires that rifles and other long guns kept in the home be unloaded and disassembled or outfitted with trigger locks. Setting aside the fact that prohibition only works on law-abiding citizens, it has been nearly 70 years since any substantive rulings on the Second Amendment; the previous llandmark (Miller) conveniently avoids the issue by … Read entire article »
Filed under: American Politics, Gun Control, Legalese
The Slippery Slope
A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. That’s the second amendment, folks. And I intend to show what prior courts and my opponents have neglected to take into account: the context of the amendment, the necessity of the protection it affords us, and the necessary limitations on the rights granted to the State. Here are the arguments, and discredited: Guns are a tool, and nothing more. The same can be said about a can-opener, an automobile, an lead pipe, a piano-wire or a computer. This is a null-statement, devoid of any meaning applicable to this debate. Many right wingers are opposed to any sort of regulation of guns that might limit the … Read entire article »
Filed under: American Politics, Gun Control