Guns and the Court
June 25th 2008 23:33
For the first time since 1939, the United States Supreme Court will issue an opinion on the right of the private citizen to own a firearm. While this might seem a trivial issue to many Americans who neither own, nor desire to ever purchase a firearm, the case could constitute a major turning point in the way your government views you.
Why should you care?
1) On the left- Do you wear socks with your Birkenstocks? If so, a ruling in your favor as a blow to the NRA and others that seek to put firearms in the hands of every Tom, Dick, and Harry in the country. The government should be able to control guns and only police and the armed forces should be able to have them. The problem in this viewpoint lies in the fact that the United States government has been waging a war against the import of illicit drugs in this country since the 1960’s. To say this “war” has been a miserable failure is a vast understatement. If you decide to wage the same type of war on guns, why do you feel like this will be successful? The United States has a horrible track record when it comes to controlling our borders. We have been unable to stem, let alone stop, the flow of booze (in the 1930’s), drugs (since the 1960’s), and illegal aliens. Nice try, but implementation would be impossible.
2) On the right- Are you a redneck and proud of it? Then a ruling in your favor would be a validation of individual rights. You could go out and buy and UZI right in the middle of our nation’s capital. Right? Well maybe not. I mean it clearly states in the second amendment that “the rights of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”, but when was the last time you were able to buy a bazooka to hunt or protect your home. A victory for your side emboldens the NRA and other fringe groups to in act similar suits that may lead to the overturning of the 1936 case that band fully automatic weapons. Do you really want every moron that can buy a gun to be able to have a fully automatic AK? How safe would you feel then? Face it. There has to be some controls on guns.
What will probably happen?
It appears that the Supreme Court will likely overturn the current ban on handguns in Washington D.C. I would not line up at the next gun to by your .44 caliber handgun just yet. While you may think that your Dirty Harry, the fact remains that there are plenty of ways that D.C., New York , and other major metropolitan areas can tweak their gun control laws to comply with the Supreme Court and still effectually ban guns. The more things change the more they stay the same. The fact of the matter is that very few people, on either side, want this fight to be over. It could put both sides out of a job. That’s the real bottom line
Why should you care?
1) On the left- Do you wear socks with your Birkenstocks? If so, a ruling in your favor as a blow to the NRA and others that seek to put firearms in the hands of every Tom, Dick, and Harry in the country. The government should be able to control guns and only police and the armed forces should be able to have them. The problem in this viewpoint lies in the fact that the United States government has been waging a war against the import of illicit drugs in this country since the 1960’s. To say this “war” has been a miserable failure is a vast understatement. If you decide to wage the same type of war on guns, why do you feel like this will be successful? The United States has a horrible track record when it comes to controlling our borders. We have been unable to stem, let alone stop, the flow of booze (in the 1930’s), drugs (since the 1960’s), and illegal aliens. Nice try, but implementation would be impossible.
2) On the right- Are you a redneck and proud of it? Then a ruling in your favor would be a validation of individual rights. You could go out and buy and UZI right in the middle of our nation’s capital. Right? Well maybe not. I mean it clearly states in the second amendment that “the rights of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”, but when was the last time you were able to buy a bazooka to hunt or protect your home. A victory for your side emboldens the NRA and other fringe groups to in act similar suits that may lead to the overturning of the 1936 case that band fully automatic weapons. Do you really want every moron that can buy a gun to be able to have a fully automatic AK? How safe would you feel then? Face it. There has to be some controls on guns.
What will probably happen?
It appears that the Supreme Court will likely overturn the current ban on handguns in Washington D.C. I would not line up at the next gun to by your .44 caliber handgun just yet. While you may think that your Dirty Harry, the fact remains that there are plenty of ways that D.C., New York , and other major metropolitan areas can tweak their gun control laws to comply with the Supreme Court and still effectually ban guns. The more things change the more they stay the same. The fact of the matter is that very few people, on either side, want this fight to be over. It could put both sides out of a job. That’s the real bottom line
| 107 |
| Vote |
