Home
Refresh   Tag(s): ; ; ; ; ;
Add to My Group
November 21, 2007 at 07:13:08

View Ratings | Rate It

The Supreme Court Is NOT Going To Abolish the Second Amendment

submit to twitter
submit to reddit
submit to digg

Tell A Friend

By Mary Shaw (about the author)     Page 1 of 1 page(s)

opednews.com     Permalink

For OpEdNews: Mary Shaw - Writer

Yesterday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Washington, D.C. gun ban case. The D.C. mayor escalated the case to the Supreme Court when the U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. struck down the District's ban on the private ownership of handguns.

The Supreme Court's ruling could have widespread effects on gun control laws across the nation.

The pro-gun extremists are getting nervous. In fact, some are spinning the case by saying that the Supreme Court is going to decide whether or not to "uphold the Second Amendment". That wording is false and it is (perhaps deliberately) misleading.


The Supreme Court cannot decide whether to uphold or abolish a portion of the Constitution. Rather, the Court interprets the Constitution.

The question of whether the ambiguously-worded Second Amendment ensures the right for individuals to own guns (and, as the NRA likes to think, the right to own as many guns as they want, even the giant assault rifles that can penetrate brick walls) has spawned arguments and debates for decades or longer. Now the Supreme Court will decide on whether the states can regulate gun ownership. And, in doing so, they will tell us what the Second Amendment really means in today's world.

The Second Amendment will not go away. It will merely be clarified and explained.

And, in light of the growing problem of gun violence in America, the Court's decision could literally be a matter of life or death.

###

 

http://www.maryshawonline.com

Mary Shaw is a Philadelphia-based writer and activist, with a focus on politics, human rights, and social justice. She is a former Philadelphia Area Coordinator for the Nobel-Prize-winning human rights group Amnesty International, and her views (more...)
 

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.

Contact Author Contact Editor View Authors' Articles

 

Book Recommendations for "Constitutional Amendments Gun"
Federal gun control laws: The second amendment and other constitutional issues (CRS report for Congress)
by Dorothy Schrader


Number of pages: 40
Publisher: Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress

The Founders' Second Amendment: Origins of the Right to Bear Arms
by Stephen P. Halbrook

$28.95
Lowest New Price $17.48

Number of pages: 448
Publisher: Ivan R. Dee, Publisher

The Founders' View of the Right to Bear Arms: A Definitive History of the Second Amendment
by David Young

$30.00

Number of pages: 270
Publisher: Golden Oak Books

The Gun Culture and Its Enemies

$9.95
Lowest New Price $6.22

Number of pages: 238
Publisher: Merril Pr

View All Book Recommendations

Share this page: (what's this?)                   Tell a Friend: Tell A Friend

FACEBOOK      DIGG THIS      Add This Page to Mr Wong!           NEWSVINE      DEl.ICIO.US      Looksmart Furl      NETSCAPE      My Web      Tag!RawSugar      Blink List     (More...)

Comments: Expand   Shrink   Hide  
14 comments
To view all comments:
Expand Comments
 

I think Ms. Shaw is the nervous party ... by Carl Lot on Wednesday, Nov 21, 2007 at 8:26:25 AM
Miss Shaw lives in Philadelphia . . . by Dana Pico on Wednesday, Nov 21, 2007 at 9:23:02 AM
I Hope So by Mike Folkerth on Wednesday, Nov 21, 2007 at 10:00:27 AM
second amendment by mike on Wednesday, Nov 21, 2007 at 2:39:36 PM
NO AMBIGUITY by tabonsell on Wednesday, Nov 21, 2007 at 4:30:55 PM
stupid "Liberal" witch by Barry Bright on Wednesday, Nov 21, 2007 at 6:40:00 PM
educate yourself about reality by Barry Bright on Wednesday, Nov 21, 2007 at 6:42:36 PM
Arms = guns? by TomK on Wednesday, Nov 21, 2007 at 9:02:45 PM
Right to bear arms by Ty on Wednesday, Nov 21, 2007 at 9:20:42 PM
Contortionist logic. by Dave Stevens on Thursday, Nov 22, 2007 at 3:54:29 AM
Goes to reason: by Mike Folkerth on Thursday, Nov 22, 2007 at 9:34:19 AM
"interpret" ??? by Frank Silbermann on Thursday, Nov 22, 2007 at 2:26:09 PM
More NRA propaganda by Dave Kisor on Thursday, Nov 22, 2007 at 7:48:30 PM
militias by B York on Monday, Nov 26, 2007 at 8:09:03 AM

 
Want to post your own comment on this Article? Post Comment


 

 

 

Tell a Friend: Tell A Friend

Copyright © 2002-2009, OpEdNews

Powered by Populum