Gun Control

[nautiduck]

I am going to guess that alot of the memebers of this forum being sportsman are gun owners as well. These are some excerpts taken from the NY Times in an article on the recent decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. I for one am a staunch believer in the US Constitution as it applies to everyone not just those I agree with. I firmly believe that anyone has the right to express their opinion about anything. I also firmly believe in the right to keep and bear arms as declared in the second amendment. I for one would like to applaud the common sense shown by Judge Laurence H. Silberman for his decison on the topic

In yesterday’s decision, the majority focused on the final clause, saying that the amendment broadly protects the rights of individuals to own guns. “It seems passing strange,” Judge Laurence H. Silberman wrote for the majority, “that the able lawyers and statesmen in the First Congress (including James Madison) would have expressed a sole concern for state militias with the language of the Second Amendment. Surely there was a more direct locution, such as ‘Congress shall make no law disarming the state militias’ or ‘states have a right to a well-regulated militia.’ ”

Unfortunately there are also Judges in the US that feel certain citizens of the US are not appointed the same rights as other because of there choice of residency.

"In dissent, Judge Karen L. Henderson said the Miller decision unambiguously declared, in her words, that “the right of the people to keep and bear arms relates to those militia whose continued vitality is required to safeguard the individual states.” Judge Henderson added that the District of Columbia is not a state, meaning that the Second Amendment does not apply to it."

I for one thought that the Constitution applied to all citizens not the area in which they lived. It is hard for me to understand how a supposedly educated individual can think this way that the constitution protects some, but not all, solely based on where they live.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said the District was reviewing both the impact of the decision and the next steps it would take in the litigation. “Today’s decision flies in the face of laws that have helped decrease gun violence in the District of Columbia,” Mr. Fenty said at a news conference. “We intend to do everything in our power to get this decision overturned.”

I am very glad to see that the Mayor of DC has taken it as job to determine that the second ammendant flies in the face of his cities gun control laws, rather than the fact that his city has passed illegal laws that fly in the face of the Constitution. Well my rant for the day is done please add your opinions as well, seeing as it is your Constitutional right to do so. I want to see if others agree or if I will be the lone nut burying my guns in the backyard when they're outlawedbecause the Bored Rich ***** Society decides that guns arent safe for anyone to own because her precious spoiled undisciplined little Tommy might forget to take his lithium and get his hands on one.

[eppefour]

I wounldn't have much of a problem with guns if you NRA guys would spend the money to teach the drug dealers how to shoot so they stop hitting innocent people. It seems to me half the gun owners can't hit anything near what they aim at.

[GALAZIO]

67 year old men in my state are batting 1000 when it come to hitting what they deem a target.

Us Texans usually don't miss.

Seems some of the liberal states need to let the people shoot more, shoot more often. When the criminals are the only ones shooting, you got a bigger problem.