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Posted at 7:52am on Jun. 27, 2008 MI Morning Update: Supremes Secure 2nd Amendment - McCain Reacts - State Budget Deal Reached

By saul anuzis

130 Days until Election Day

June 27, 2008

MORNING UPDATE:

SECOND AMENDMENT SECURE...FOR NOW...The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting, the justices' first major pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history.  Obama backed the DC gun ban case that lost...judges do matter.

Posted in 2nd Amendment | John McCain | Michigan Republican Party | Republicans | Saul Anuzis | Supreme Court — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 10:26pm on Jun. 26, 2008 Stand Up And Applaud

By Gov. Mike Huckabee

Gun owners and conservatives everywhere should stand up and applaud the Supreme Court's ruling today in favor of striking down the unlawful Washington, DC handgun ban.

Today's decision affirming the 2nd Amendment right to an individual owning firearms is a refreshing decision from the court, and reminds us how important the election of the next President can be. The Washington, D. C. ban on handguns was clearly unconstitutional and the court ruling today reminds us that our Constitutional rights are not geographical---one locale cannot decide a different right than other locales-they are Constitutional rights-not community rights

Judge Antonin Scalia wrote the Majority Opinion. Joining Justice Scalia were Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Alito, Thomas and Kennedy.

Many of you know I proudly own a variety of firearms and enjoy hunting as well as sports shooting with targets and clays. But even if I were not a hunter I would still be a firm believer in the Second Amendment right of Americans to own firearms for self-protection and as a matter of principle.

In 1998, after the tragic killing of a teacher and four students at the Westside Middle School near Jonesboro, Arkansas, I was being interviewed by Katie Couric on NBC's Today show. She intimated that mass murder on school campuses seemed to be confined to schools in the Deep South, where there existed a "culture of guns."

I assured her that yes hunting and ownership of firearms were Southern traditions. At the same time murder of innocent schoolchildren was most certainly not and such violence was inexplicable regardless of one's geography. When she continued to press, looking for some validation of her view that these shootings were in some way connected to the South, I firmly reminded her that Colin Ferguson boarded a train in New York and coldly killed 27 people before finally being subdued. That event occurred in New York where the gun laws are among the toughest in the country and where gun ownership is much lower than in the South.

We certainly should be tough on those who abuse firearms by employing them in a crime. But abolishing firearms because there are reckless abusers makes as much sense as abolishing cars because some people drive while drunk.

Most firearms owners are responsible and exceptionally careful and safety conscious. My own membership in the NRA is something I cherish and value. This is not so much because I love guns but because I love freedom, and I believe to trample on one part of the Bill of Rights is to trample on all of it.

A version of this blog is cross posted at www.huckpac.com.

Posted in 2nd Amendment | D.C. v. Heller | Law — Comments (13)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 10:32am on Jun. 26, 2008 Keep and Bear Those Arms

By Erick

5 to 4 decision. Scalia writes it for the majority.

Undoubtedly some think that the Second Amendment is outmoded in a society where our standing army is the pride of our Nation, where well-trained police forces provide personal security, and where gun violence is a serious problem. That is perhaps debatable, but what is not debatable is that it is not the role of this Court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct.

We affirm the judgment of the Court of Appeals.

Note: Though Senator Obama is today running ferociously away from his statement of last year that he supported the District of Columbia's gun ban, *all* of the Supreme Court Justices that Obama has said he respected voted against the individual right to keep and bear arms.

Posted in 2nd Amendment | Breaking News | Law | Right To Bear Arms | Supreme Court — Comments (139)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 9:46am on Jun. 26, 2008 All hail the steadfastness of the Constitutional Law Scholar! [Updated. Bumped.]

You know, I *almost* wish that the USSC upholds the DC handgun ban, now. *Almost.*

By Moe Lane

[UPDATE: Well, now we have a good range on this new revelation by Obama. It had to have happened after February of 2008:

Oddly enough, this video predates the Beltway primaries. Fancy that.]

-------

I don't, of course, because not being a Constitutional Law Scholar! I retain this naive belief that the 2nd Amendment is simply a straightforward confirmation of my individual right to own weapons, and that the typical reaction of the Founding Fathers to suggestions otherwise would be horrified laughter. Said naive belief is also shared by my party's candidate for President (H/T: Snowflakes in Hell), along with what looks to be most of the rest of the Congressional/Senate GOP.

But not the Constitutional Law Scholar! Back in 2007, the Chicago Tribune noted:

But the campaign of Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said that he '...believes that we can recognize and respect the rights of law-abiding gun owners and the right of local communities to enact common sense laws to combat violence and save lives. Obama believes the D.C. handgun law is constitutional.'

What a refreshingly unambiguous statement made that he made ther...

Obama Camp Disavows Last Year's 'Inartful' Statement on D.C. Gun Law

ABC News' Teddy Davis and Alexa Ainsworth Report: With the Supreme Court poised to rule on Washington, D.C.'s, gun ban, the Obama campaign is disavowing what it calls an "inartful" statement to the Chicago Tribune last year in which an unnamed aide characterized Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., as believing that the DC ban was constitutional.

"That statement was obviously an inartful attempt to explain the Senator's consistent position," Obama spokesman Bill Burton tells ABC News.

Err, right. May I suggest that Senator Obama start putting a "Freshest if used by" date on all his speeches? It'd be a help, really.

Moe Lane

PS: Just in case the DC gun ban is upheld, I suggest that Obama supporters bookmark this site. Actually, bookmark it anyway: you're going to need it.

Posted in 2nd Amendment | Heller | John McCain | Law | Obamafiles | Welcome to the Fishbowl — Comments (18)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 8:39am on Jan. 14, 2008 Sign the Petition and Help Protect Our Second Amendment Rights

By Rep. Eric Cantor

In a great victory for the American People, the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the DC handgun ban saying it was a violation of the second amendment. For the first time in years a court held that the second amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms. The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case. Defenders of the second amendment have been working hard for just this moment in history for years.

Last Friday, the United States Solicitor General filed formal briefs asking the Supreme Court not to affirm the lower court's decision. This is just outrageous. The Solicitor General is the Federal Government’s lawyer. So, now we have the federal government using our tax dollars to argue for a delay on a ruling concerning our fundamental rights.

Let your voice be heard - sign the petition today.

Please read on.

Posted in 2nd Amendment | gun control | Policy — Comments (57) / Email this page » / Read More »