Culture

SCOTUS Turns Down a Major Second Amendment Case

March 02, 2018 07:59·

By the time this letter is published, the discussion of gun violence in our country following the mass shooting at the high school in Parkland, FL on February 14 will have ended and we will all be back to waiting for the next mass shooting to occur. And, even though the United States' suicide rate is similar to other countries, the nation's gun-related suicide rate is eight times higher than other high-income countries, researchers said. That being said, if I could go back in time and stop guns from being produced, I would.

Currently, the District of Columbia and nine states impose a waiting period.

"It guarantees to the people a right to keep and bear arms-at least in their homes for lawful purposes, such as self-defense", said James Jacobs, an NYU criminal law professor.

He also urged lawmakers not to include concealed-carry language in its legislation, and said he'd ban bump stocks, which allow semi-automatic weapons to function like automatic weapons, through an executive order. I think that examining the gun control regulations of other (less violent) countries just makes good common sense. I suspect that many NRA members have yet to actually read it: "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". These "rights" have been legally interpreted to apply to individuals, not guaranteed explicitly by the Second Amendment.

I read with interest the February 24 Letter to the Editor (Enough is enough).

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The NRA prefers to focus on the second part of this amendment and completely ignore the initial qualifier. "It's not a failure of the law; it's a failure of enforcement". One of the basic foundations of our Constitution is the belief that we have rights, but that every right has responsibilities directly associated with that right.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence believes they do and makes a compelling argument. Exercising a right without taking on responsibilities leads to infringement upon the rights of others. But in the Ninth Circuit, it appears, "rights that have no basis in the Constitution receive greater protection than the Second Amendment, which is enumerated in the text". Meanwhile U.S citizens wait for gun change.

- As the gun debate heats up in Washington, the 27 words of the Second Amendment are really at the heart of this political fight.

"The court should take these cases and give lower courts guidance because at the moment lower courts are all over the map on gun rights issues", Gottlieb told Reuters.

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