Latest gun control news
(UPDATE – I changed the title of this post because it screamed “LAME!” at me everytime I looked at it. Not the post, but the title.)
This kind of news should make me grind my teeth, but instead makes me feel strangely at peace.
The 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals all but stated that federal constitutional law does not apply to the city of Chicago. Apparently this decision was made by a bunch of hardcore anti-gun judges who ruled by their biases rather than the law.
I feel at peace because there is no way this ruling will stand before the Supreme Court. Not after the Heller decision.
And even if the confirmation of Sotomayor were to go through before the case is heard, it wouldn’t make a difference. Because she would only replace another liberal judge who voted against Heller anyway. So the Heller majority would still stand.
Even the moonbat San Francisco 9th court of appeals accepted the SC’s Heller ruling, though I’m sure reluctantly. So the SC is going to have to step in and settle this once and for all, not just because this is a major constitutional question affecting the states, but because there is a clear split on a constitutional issue between two major courts of the US and it needs to be resolved promptly.
And this, coming during a time when the public’s view on gun rights is slowly taking a swing for the pro side. Because more and more citizens are starting to realize that the government, and the police, can’t protect them from criminals. Because all they can do is catch them, prosecute them, and lock them up after the fact, and half the time they can’t even get that right. Because when seconds count, help is always minutes away. Because some people will always prey on others unless faced with overwhelming defensive power. Because Chicago, despite it’s handgun ban, has one of the highest murder and gun related death rates in the nation for large cities. Because one thing that keeps a runaway government’s power in check is an armed citizenry. Because criminals don’t fear police or prosecution, but they do fear an unexpectedly armed victim or homeowner with the knowhow to properly use their firearm.
And the courts are becoming more and more sympathetic to crime victims defending themselves and reluctant to levy any civil or criminal penalties againt them, resulting in the Castle Doctrine and derivatives thereof being passed as law in numerous states.
Sooo, Einstein, how is it that people are shooting each other with weapons that are banned? How is that possible? And what good are stricter laws going to do for people that don’t observe them anyway? Inquiring minds want to know.
For the record, despite my pro-gun rhetoric, I don’t always embrace everything many of the hardcore gun-rights enthusiasts believe. I think that sometimes common sense needs to be applied and the realization that some people (felons, terrorists, certified crazies, and the cataclysmically stupid) have no business being near, let alone owning, a gun, and we may be better off erring on the safe side on this issue. I believe that gun ownership needs to be carefully weighed against the safety of one’s young children (from toddler to teen) in the home and if the latter can’t be guaranteed, then perhaps it’s better not to have one in the home. I believe that there should be a higher standard to be met as far as responsibility goes for people to carry concealed, as opposed to just buying one for the home. I also believe that concealed carry means nobody knows you’re carrying and you don’t flaunt it. I believe there is no purpose for any citizen to own a belt-fed machine gun like an M60 or MG42, or a rocket launcher, or tactical nuclear weapon. But most of all, I believe that the 2nd Amendment guarantees that, so long as we can demonstrate we are responsible adults, we have the choice as to whether we want to arm ourselves and take responsibility for our own safety or let the government do it for us and take care of us after we’ve been beaten, robbed, stabbed, or raped, and had all our dignity stripped away from us.
I predict the 7th’s ruling is going to go down, and go down hard, in this one. So there may still be hope left in the future for all of us.
The 7th has to know that the ruling will not stand, not with Heller at the SC. It makes no sense that they’d rule contrary to previous SC decisions.. unless the 7th’s ruling was nothing more than a posture created to make a political statement. Either that, or they think there’s some loophole in Heller.
Personally, I think they’re just trying to make a statement and fight the whole thing until the SC forces them to comply. Something about “fighting the good fight”, and praying for a loophole to be found, however unlikely. Problem is, even after the SC forces Chicago to rescind the gun ban (more likely “when” than “if”), the city and state of Illinois isn’t going to roll over and play dead. They will continue to make it as difficult as possible for responsible citizens to own firearms and will push the law and the Constitution right up to the absolute limit with their gun control laws. Kinda like Japan fighting the US in WWII – they knew by the end of 1943 that they were going to lose the war, but were determined to fight it out tooth-and-nail to the very bitter end. The tide is turning in our favor, but many bitter fights are coming.