2nd Amendment "No Obstacle" to Banning Automatic Weapons

[montezumaz]

http://washingtonexaminer.com/justic...3#.UH2PrlGuqCF

Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens called for Congress to tighten gun laws in the wake of shootings such as the one that took place in Aurora CO. Stevens noted that the legal precedent for restricting gun rights ... United States vs. Miller ... still stands, despite the ruling in the 2005 Heller case that overturned the Washington DC, ban on owning handguns, even in one’s own home. “[Miller] was generally understood to limiting the scope of the Second Amendment to the uses of arms that were related to military activities,” Stevens said today during a question-and-answer session after a speech today with the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence’s Legal Action Project. “The Court did not overrule Miller [in Heller]. Instead it ‘read Miller to say only that the Second Amendment does not protect those weapons not typically possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes, such as short-barreled shotguns ... Thus, the Second Amendment provides no obstacle to regulations permitting the ownership or the use of the sorts of the automatic weapons used in the tragic multiple killings in Virginia, Colorado, or Arizona in recent years.” Stevens criticized Congress for failing to pass such laws.
“I find it almost difficult to accept the fact that, notwithstanding the recent tragedies that I mentioned ... you mentioned ... how little activity there’s been in lawmaking bodies to address this issue,” Stevens said during the question-and-answer session. “The fact that Congress doesn’t address it, I find mind-boggling, to tell you the truth.” The event began with a video montage newscasts covering recent shootings, such as the Batman shooting and the attack on a Sikh Temple in Wisconsin. He added that the Heller decision leaves the door open to banning the carry of weapons in public. “There’s a very powerful argument for saying it does not extend to disagreeing with local communities about decisions about which public places they should not be permitted to be carried [in],” Stevens said. Stevens also had a recommendation for people who keep a weapon in their homes for self-defense purposes. “Maybe you have some kind of constitutional right to have a cell phone with a pre-dialed 911 in the number at your bedside and that might provide you with a little better protection than a gun which you’re not used to using,” he said to laughter.
The National Rifle Association believes that President Obama will “stack the court” with anti-gun justices if he is reelected and Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, and Kennedy leave. “If those three left, he could stack the court with a 6-3 majority rule for the next 30 years,” Chris Cox, executive director at the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, said in April. “If that happens, the Second Amendment will be reduced to a government-granted privilege.” - Joel Gehrke

[Jim K]

If he is re-elected, the New Messiah, President for Life, Lord and Master of Us All, will appoint nine justices* who agree that the Bill of Rights means nothing.

*Vacancies can be created.

Jim

[targetacqmgt]

So much for the ability for citizens to defend ourselves from a non-constitutional government where only law enforcement and the military have sufficient firepower to suppress the people if they rise up. If he "loads" the Supremes let us pray the military remember the their OATH that the defend the Constitution NOT the Government.

[Double D]

This just pisses me off. Just the fact that he has the chance. He never should have been there to begin with.

[lonewolf204]

Originally Posted by Double D

This just pisses me off. Just the fact that he has the chance. He never should have been there to begin with.

I totally agree!

[graehaven]

Wow. I wasn't aware that AUTOMATIC weapons of any kind were used in the recent multiple killing episodes.

As far as I knew, they were SEMI-auto weapons.

In what shootings were there fully automatic weapons used? You know, the ones that are ALREADY regulated or illegal?

[targetacqmgt]

Originally Posted by graehaven

Wow. I wasn't aware that AUTOMATIC weapons of any kind were used in the recent multiple killing episodes.

As far as I knew, they were SEMI-auto weapons.

In what shootings were there fully automatic weapons used? You know, the ones that are ALREADY regulated or illegal?

Full auto or semi auto it is all the same to fellas like Stevens.

[aa1911]

the words 'assault rifle' and 'select fire' mean nothing to the anti's.

ignorance at it's finest

[time2shoot]

I double and triple checked, nope nothing in the constitution About only certan firearms are ok to own.
I'll check again. I might have missed it, I'm not wearing my glasses.

[jedwil]

Originally Posted by time2shoot

I double and triple checked, nope nothing in the constitution About only certan firearms are ok to own.
I'll check again. I might have missed it, I'm not wearing my glasses.

Perhaps, they are no longer looking at the US Constitution.

[armoredman]

That is correct - don't forget Ginsberg already stated we should look to other countries for "better" constitutions, like South Africa, and we know what a wonderful peaceful place that is today, right?

[time2shoot]

Originally Posted by jedwil

Perhaps, they are no longer looking at the US Constitution.

Nope it was not there.
PLEASE don't scare me like that.
Ok all jokes aside, What scares me is that they even think they can do it.
The only reason to want to or to try to is if you realy wanted to cause an up rising here in the USA. Passing a law to take away gun ownership rights would do just that.
It's breed into us to fight back. when somthing threatens our freedoms. Kind of like a predater atacking a running animal. It's instinct.