Biden – AP photo
By Nancy Thorner -
- George Washington: “A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined …” — George Washington First Annual Address, 1790.
- Thomas Jefferson: “No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.” — Thomas Jefferson.
- Benjamin Franklin: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” — Benjamin Franklin, 1755.
From 10 quotes that show how radical the Founding Fathers were about gun ownership https://www.one-armed-man.com/2015/02/ten-quotes-that-show-how-radical-the-founding-fathers-were-about-gun-ownership/
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, June 23, 2022, struck down a New York state gun control law that required gun owners seeking a license to carry a concealed handgun to demonstrate a "proper cause" to do so.
In a 6-3 ruling for New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, the Court reversed lower court decisions upholding New York's law and delivered the most significant victory for gun rights in more than a decade.
New York's state law required people who want to carry concealed handguns outside their homes to show a "proper cause" for having a license to do so. State courts had ruled that gun owners needed to show more than a general desire for protection in order to obtain a concealed carry license; they could not just claim they wanted it for self-defense.
Accordingly, the Supreme Court declared New York's law unconstitutional on 14th Amendment grounds, saying that New York prevented law-abiding citizens with ordinary self-defense needs from exercising their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
Justice Clarence Thomas delivered the majority opinion for the Court, writing, "The constitutional right to bear arms in public for self-defense is not 'a second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other Bill of Rights guarantees."
“We know of no other constitutional right that an individual may exercise only after demonstrating to government officers some special need," Thomas wrote. "That is not how the First Amendment works when it comes to unpopular speech or the free exercise of religion. It is not how the Sixth Amendment works when it comes to a defendant's right to confront the witnesses against him. And it is not how the Second Amendment works when it comes to public carry for self-defense.”
RINOS Support Biden
On Friday, June 24, 2022, the House passed the bill by 234-193, including 14 Republicans who voted with Democrats.
Below are the 14 RINO U.S. House members who voted for the gun control bill with their present House status:
- Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan – retiring
- Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan – primary 8/2
- Rep. Steve Chabot of Ohio – already renominated
- Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio – retiring
- Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio – already renominated
- Rep. David Joyce of Ohio – already renominated
- Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming – primary 8/16
- Rep. Chris Jacobs of New York – retiring
- Rep. John Katko of New York – retiring
- Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania – already renominated
- Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois – retiring
- Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas – already renominated
- Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida – primary 8/23
- Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina – defeated in primary
12 of these 14 voted for the J6 Committee
7 of these 14 voted to impeach President Trump
6 of these 14 are already leaving the Congress
3 of these 14 have primaries coming up
5 of these 14 have been renominated and are up for reelection in November
Should we suppose the five House members that lied their way through the primary expect “at least I am better than a Nancy Pelosi Democrat” will get them through another two years? However, it is discouraging to the Republican base who once again is seeing a Republican party that won’t do anything major while in power except please their contributors (as in 2005-06 or 2017-18) and can’t even stop the most left-wing proposals from a senile President, with the worst approval ratings in decades, who can only rant and rave like his fellow Democrats.
As for the U.S. Senate, the Senate passed the bill late Thursday night, June 23, 2022, with the help of 15 RINOS.
President Biden signed the largest gun control bill in nearly 30 years — The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act — on Saturday, June 25, 2022, less than 24 hours after it passed through Congress with unusual haste.
The measure aims to strengthen background checks for the youngest buyers, close the so-called boyfriend loophole and incentivize states to pass red-flag laws.
“Time is of the essence. Lives will be saved,” Biden said in an address to the nation. “From Columbine to Sandy Hook to Charleston, Orlando, Las Vegas, Parkland, El Paso, Atlanta, Buffalo, Uvalde and for the shootings that happen every day in the streets. How many times have you heard that ‘just do something, for God’s sake just do something?”
“Today, we did,” he added.
As with the “Infrastructure” Bill loaded with Democrat pork, we now have gun control, an issue only a small group of liberal Democrat voters support.
Former President Trump warned about the gun deal, calling the bill the "First Step In The Movement to Take Your Guns Away."
Role of Texas Senator John Cornyn in putting together and passing Biden's gun bill
"Texas Senator John Cornyn, a former judge, justifies his role in putting together and passing a package of anti-Second Amendment laws signed into law by President Biden, saying that he was responding to calls to his office demanding that he “do something” in the wake of the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas."
So that’s what Senator Cornyn did, he sat down with progressive anti-gun colleagues who also wanted to do something.
"The something they did will do little if anything to prevent future school shootings but will give government additional ways to harass law-abiding gun owners and allow Senators who voted for it to assure voters that they have indeed done something."
Focus on "Red Flag" laws
The gun control “deal” Senate Republicans and Democrats made focuses on the so-called “Red Flag” laws that have become flavor of the week – favorites of politicians and gun control activists – but are unlikely to do much to reduce either gun crime or school shootings.
“Like many gun control proposals, they sound good in concept. Who would disagree with the wisdom of disarming those in the midst of a psychic break or mentally unhinged and threatening to harm themselves or others?”
“As with much else, however, the devil lurks in the details. What sort of threat justifies suspending one’s rights – even temporarily?"
“Who gets to determine whether an individual is dangerous enough to trigger such action?”
"Can the law be easily abused – and if so, what remedies exist to avoid or at least minimize such abuse?"
Senator Cornyn and his colleagues may think they’ve passed a law that will be executed fairly and narrowly to target only those who represent a real and immediate danger to themselves or others, but most Americans don’t live in their world, as Red flag laws do NOT prevent crime. They only take guns away from legal gun owners.
Final thoughts
“In the interest of speed over justice, seizures under so-called Red Flag Laws are usually “ex parte”, or one-sided without the opportunity to defend yourself in court, confront witnesses, or even be present in court. Depending on the locale, the process can be initiated by a healthcare worker, relative, acquaintance, or even a disgruntled neighbor, leaving little recourse to the defendant.
The recent decision by the Supreme Court to overturn New York’s draconian requirement to demonstrate exceptional need in order to obtain a concealed carry permit has a direct bearing on the “Bi-Partisan Gun Control” bill just signed by Biden.
Justice Thomas’ majority opinion is an insistence on due process for any actions depriving a citizen of protection by the Second Amendment. In New York, the decision to grant a concealed carry permit was subjective, based on the opinion of a public official. The same could be said of any one-sided judicial decree described above, as it pertains to the Second Amendment. Whether any “Red Flag” seizure would pass constitutional muster under this decision is in doubt.
This decision was a long time coming, after the monumental Heller v DC decision in 2008, which determined (incorporated) the Second Amendment to apply equally to Federal, State, and local governments.
Illinois was dissuaded by other states from appealing the 2012 Moore v Madigan decision of the 7th Circuit Court, knowing it would be upheld and applicable to all states.
New York tried unsuccessfully to change their law under duress and have the current appeal dismissed, so here we are today.
This decision was a long time coming, after the monumental Heller v DC decision in 2008, which determined (incorporated) the Second Amendment to apply equally to Federal, State, and local governments.
