{"id":4127,"date":"2016-03-17T08:25:49","date_gmt":"2016-03-17T14:25:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/?p=4127"},"modified":"2016-03-17T08:25:49","modified_gmt":"2016-03-17T14:25:49","slug":"the-second-amendment-heller-and-gun-control-extremism-if-there-is-such-a-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2016\/03\/the-second-amendment-heller-and-gun-control-extremism-if-there-is-such-a-thing.html","title":{"rendered":"The Second Amendment, Heller, and “Gun Control Extremism,” if there is such a thing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

The Second Amendment is, apparently, up for grabs again. \u00a0Or, at any rate, in 2007, after the D.C. circuit court had struck down the tight D.C. gun restrictions, Supreme Court justice nominee Merrick Garland voted for rehearing the decision; he was not with the majority, and the decision was upheld both there, and at the Supreme Court, becoming the Heller<\/em> decision holding that the Second Amendment does indeed provide for an individual right to bear arms. \u00a0The folks at the National Review<\/a> use this decision, and a second case involving the federal government illegally retaining records on background checks, as evidence that he\u2019s anti-gun (and, by implication, likely to overturn Heller<\/em>; Media Matters dissects this article<\/a> and claims that these assertions are bogus; I don\u2019t have the background knowledge or research time to assess either side\u2019s claims.<\/p>\n

As regards the Second Amendment itself, I simply cannot find my way to finding plausible any interpretation that negates the individual right to bear arms.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yes, I\u2019ve read that people argue that the initial clause about militias means that this amendment has only to do with the right of states to arm themselves with a state militia. \u00a0But the amendment does not say, \u201cthe federal government shall not interfere with state militias\u201d nor does it say, \u201cto the extent that a state shall determine it necessary to further the preparedness of their militia, . . .\u201d or in any way suggest that the initial dependent clause is a limiting factor for\u00a0the second independent clause. \u00a0(Wikipedia<\/a> provides what appears to be a pretty good summary of the commentary at the time and subsequently.)<\/p>\n

Imagine that the text of the First Amendment had read: \u00a0\u201cFree choice in\u00a0religion being\u00a0an aid to the proper moral instruction\u00a0of the People and providing for the relief of the Poor,\u00a0Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.\u201d \u00a0Would there be grounds for saying that freedom of religion only applies to religions which provide charitable services and moral teachings?<\/p>\n

But having said that, I understand why many people would like to wish this amendment away. \u00a0Mind you, I\u2019d wish they\u2019d simply be honest and propose a repeal of this amendment, rather than say things such as \u201cthe founders could not have envisioned the powerful weapons we have today, so let\u2019s compromise and say that all 18th century weapons are permitted.\u201d But it is true that the Second Amendment is something unique to America. \u00a0Here, for instance, is an article in The Guardian <\/a>describing gun restrictions in Germany, the UK, and elsewhere. \u00a0I\u2019m not sure of the accuracy of all of its details (certainly there\u2019s an error when the article claims our gun homicide rate is 3.34 per thousand), but it\u2019s clear that many countries which see themselves as free and democratic do not have a right to bear arms in their constitutions\/foundational laws, nor do they believe there is any human right to armed self-defense.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s thus no surprise that many liberals, who look abroad and wish for systems of parental leave, or state-provided health care, or the like, as exist in Europe, would likewise wish for their various systems of gun restrictions. \u00a0And it should likewise be no shock when President Obama, or any other Democrat, says that \u201cif Australia can act to prevent gun crimes, we can, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, if you look at Hillary Clinton\u2019s platform, she speaks of background checks and the like. \u00a0She does not want to say, \u201cI want to appoint a justice who will overturn Heller<\/em>, and then implement a system of restrictions similar to what other countries have done, in which only limited types of guns are available, and only to active hunters.\u201d \u00a0She can\u2019t say that, of course. \u00a0But I bet that\u2019s what she thinks, and I\u2019ll be that, in private, she speaks admiringly of gun restrictions abroad.<\/p>\n

But you know what?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m pro-life. \u00a0I\u2019d be pleased to see abortion criminalized, and think that, but for the Supreme Court decisions standing in the way, we\u2019d have come to a consensus long ago, permitting only early abortions and rare exceptions otherwise. \u00a0NARAL and NOW and the like, like to label those of us who think this, \u201cextremists,\u201d and we, of course, reject that label.<\/p>\n

And in the same fashion, it\u2019s similarly wrong to call gun-banners \u201cextremists,\u201d when they simply hold a viewpoint which is out of the norm here, but perfectly ordinary in other democratic nations which share our cultural heritage.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Second Amendment is, apparently, up for grabs again. \u00a0Or, at any rate, in 2007, after the D.C. circuit court had struck down the tight D.C. gun restrictions, Supreme Court justice nominee Merrick Garland voted for rehearing the decision; he was not with the majority, and the decision was upheld both there, and at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[252,348],"class_list":["post-4127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-guns","tag-second-amendment"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Second Amendment, Heller, and "Gun Control Extremism," if there is such a thing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Second Amendment is, apparently, up for grabs again. \u00a0Or, at any rate, in 2007, after the D.C. circuit court had struck down the tight D.C. gun\" 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