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Justice Scalia On The Second Amendment, and The Constitution

Beretta92FSLady

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I suppose what I would like to start with is Justice Scalia stating that there are Constitutional limitations that can be imposed on the exercise of the Second Amendment:

He said the 2008 ruling stated that future cases will determine "what limitations upon the right to bear arms are permissible. Some undoubtedly are."

And then we are told that Justice Scalia is a Strict Constituionalist, basically, he Interprets the Constitution based on what is derived from the Original Intent. Okay, I can go for that:

Scalia - a proponent of the idea that the Constitution must be interpreted using the meaning of its text at the time it was written - cited "a tort called affrighting" that existed when the Second Amendment was drafted in the 18th century making it a misdemeanor to carry "a really horrible weapon just to scare people like a head ax."


Then he goes on to describe what appears to be, even though he is a firm believer in Original Intent, to describe how the Right To Bear Arms can be infringed:

"So yes, there are some limitations that can be imposed," he said. "I mean, obviously, the amendment does not apply to arms that cannot be hand-carried. It's to 'keep and bear' (arms). So, it doesn't apply to cannons. But I suppose there are handheld rocket launchers that can bring down airplanes that will have to be ... decided."

And then we have a bit of a side-note regarding the title of his book, which is rather generally entitled. Or did he intend for it to be?:

Supreme Court justices rarely give media interviews. Scalia is making the rounds to promote "Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts," a new book he co-wrote.

I was under the impression that the Constitution is not Interpretive. And yet we have a die-hard Conservative Justice who Linguistically is describing the Act of placing a Law to the Constitution as Interpretation.

The link: http://news.yahoo.com/justice-scalia-steps-criticism-healthcare-ruling-201206215.html
 
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KYGlockster

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They will never understand the most basic of texts. SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED! The amendment says, "...to keep AND bear...," it does not mean we can only keep arms that are capable of being carried, it means the Federal government can not infringe upon our right to KEEP arms, or BEAR arms. It amazes me how our very own Supreme Court justices are incapable of interpreting a very simple document. This is just like the Commerce Clause. They have used this one small clause as the basis to destroy the entire limits placed on the Federal government. KEEP "'"'"AND"'"'" BEAR! Come on Scalia, get a clue!
 
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Jeff Hayes

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Scalia did not say what those restrictions might be. Not allowing felons and mentally ill people to have firearms are restrictions.
 

rscottie

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Scalia did not say what those restrictions might be. Not allowing felons and mentally ill people to have firearms are restrictions.

If a person cannot be trusted with a tool (firearm), they probably should not be walking free in society. This includes felons and those with Mental Illness.

The only laws we need are ones against criminal use of weapons which can include murder, robbery, etc. etc.

All other restrictions designed to infringe possession are against the 2nd Amendment.
 

Beretta92FSLady

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If a person cannot be trusted with a tool (firearm), they probably should not be walking free in society. This includes felons and those with Mental Illness.

The only laws we need are ones against criminal use of weapons which can include murder, robbery, etc. etc.

All other restrictions designed to infringe possession are against the 2nd Amendment.

Felons, particularly non-violent Felons ought be able to purchase, and own firearms...and vote.

I am not sure what degree of Mental Illness ought to be included in a bar from owning, and purchasing firearms.
 

rscottie

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Felons, particularly non-violent Felons ought be able to purchase, and own firearms...and vote.

I am not sure what degree of Mental Illness ought to be included in a bar from owning, and purchasing firearms.

From your comment I would like to clarify what I meant because I think we are in agreement.

If a person is a felon, and they have done their time and are "rehabilitated" and are going to be released, they should get their rights back after a reasonable probationary period. This includes the right to bear arms and vote.

If a person is Mentally Ill and a danger to society to the point that they cannot be trusted with a firearm, they should be institutionalized until they are not a danger to others.
 
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JmE

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If a person cannot be trusted with a tool (firearm), they probably should not be walking free in society. This includes felons and those with Mental Illness.
If a person is a felon, and they have done their time
<cut>
they should get their rights back
<cut>
This includes the right to bear arms and vote.

If a person is Mentally Ill and a danger to society to the point that they cannot be trusted with a firearm, they should be institutionalized until they are not a danger to others.

Yes. It's past time, IMHO, that rights ought be respected and many laws be tested. We're pretty far down the slippery slope... too far already.
 

since9

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All limitations are infringements

"He (Justice Scalia) said the 2008 ruling stated that future cases will determine "what limitations upon the right to bear arms are permissible. Some undoubtedly are."

Our Second Amendment: "...the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Keep means "possess" and bear means "carry," so in more modern vernacular it's "...the right to possess and carry arms shall not be infringed."

Is a limitation an infringement? It could be, depending on the nature of the limitation. Let's say a law was passed prohibiting the carry of orange or pink firearms due to the possibility that LEOs might mistake them as toy guns. If you only firearm is orange, and you can't afford to refinish it in a different color, does that materially infringe on your right to keep (possess) the arm? No. Does it infringe on your right to carry it? Absolutely. It's a monetary infringement, because you would be prohibited from carrying it until you refinished it, but you can't afford to refinish it.

What about magazine capacities, if they didn't grandfather it so that you could continue to carry more than 10 rounds provided the firearm was made before the law passed. That's still an infringement, as it's restricting your ability to carry an amount of ammunition you deem necessary for self-protection.

What about allowing known violent felons or mentally inept people access to firearms? Yes, those are infringements, too, but ones I do believe we should keep in place. The slippery slope is that if we allow restrictions for these folks, the next step is gun registration to ensure no one "dangerous" is legally allowed to own firearms, or only those who're "loyal to the state (country)," etc.

Sound like Hitler to you? It does to me.

I prefer the old fashioned way: Let the criminals have their guns. They're outnumbered 20:1 anyway, so in short order they'll be a lot less of them. As for the crazies, there's another approach than putting a firearms restriction into law. Simply make them either wards of a competent relative/adult or a ward of the state. This is already done today, and has been for well over 100 years. It's like being younger than 18 again - they cannot legally enter into contracts, and usually can't even carry their own ID, precisely to help ensure they don't go around doing things like buying firearms.
 

JmE

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What about allowing known violent felons or mentally inept people access to firearms? Yes, those are infringements, too, but ones I do believe we should keep in place. The slippery slope is that if we allow restrictions for these folks, the next step is gun registration to ensure no one "dangerous" is legally allowed to own firearms, or only those who're "loyal to the state (country)," etc.

My problem with such infringements is how government has ran with and twisted things that appear to be common sense restrictions. What about those of us that have suffered PTSD but are clearly competent? We're possibly next to be selected for special infringement in today's political climate. No, government has lost my trust to remain within reasonable bounds. If a felon is violent then, I'd suspect, sentencing should reflect the reality and restrictions on self defense should be reasonably limited enough that it's a fair bet that a violent felon will not survive their next violent escapade.

I prefer the old fashioned way: Let the criminals have their guns. They're outnumbered 20:1 anyway, so in short order they'll be a lot less of them.

Yes! I'll take responsibility for my own safety and retain my freedom. Well stated, since9.

As for the crazies, there's another approach than putting a firearms restriction into law. Simply make them either wards of a competent relative/adult or a ward of the state. This is already done today, and has been for well over 100 years. It's like being younger than 18 again - they cannot legally enter into contracts, and usually can't even carry their own ID, precisely to help ensure they don't go around doing things like buying firearms.

and yes!
 

SixGunGal

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Amendment II

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.


Obviously the founders of this country knew there were dangers and there would always be dangers. They wanted the citizens to protect the country, protect themselves, protect each other.

We must remember that the founders of this country were descendants of people who came from areas which had a history of being overrun by foreign armies or by their own leaders. They wanted us to have a militia, they wanted us to be armed. Today, our militias are our military and law enforcement. Even with all that, there is still a chance we could be invaded by a foreign power, by our own fellow citizens, and our leaders.

The big argument about the 2nd amendment's 'lack of clarity' are its commas. If it read, " A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, and the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed", we'd expect there not to be a problem, but wait... What about our lack of militias these days? What about our leaders desire to tear apart every law?

Good grief. Such nit-picking. It's plain the early citizens were allowed to have weaponry. So what's the argument? "We don't have militias these days." Gag me. Isn't that more of a reason for the citizens to be armed?

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.

I do wish The Powers That Be would pay attention to the underlined portion above. What part of "people to keep and bear arms" and "shall not be infringed" don't they understand? Did the early citizens have to go through this? :question: :cuss: :banghead:
 
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rscottie

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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.


Obviously the founders of this country knew there were dangers and there would always be dangers. They wanted the citizens to protect the country, protect themselves, protect each other.

We must remember that the founders of this country were descendants of people who came from areas which had a history of being overrun by foreign armies or by their own leaders. They wanted us to have a militia, they wanted us to be armed. Today, our militias are our military and law enforcement. Even with all that, there is still a chance we could be invaded by a foreign power, by our own fellow citizens, and our leaders.

The big argument about the 2nd amendment's 'lack of clarity' are its commas. If it read, " A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, and the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed", we'd expect there not to be a problem, but wait... What about our lack of militias these days? What about our leaders desire to tear apart every law?

Good grief. Such nit-picking. It's plain the early citizens were allowed to have weaponry. So what's the argument? "We don't have militias these days." Gag me. Isn't that more of a reason for the citizens to be armed?

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.

I do wish The Powers That Be would pay attention to the underlined portion above. What part of "people to keep and bear arms" and "shall not be infringed" don't they understand? Did the early citizens have to go through this? :question: :cuss: :banghead:

There is no lack of militia today.

The militia is every law abiding citizen that can bring their own privately owned firearm that they maintain and assist in times of need or in times of duress. This could be for anything from civil unrest, natural disasters, prison breaks, and, as a last resort, to stop an oppressive government.

I am the militia, you are the militia, WE ARE THE MILITIA!
 
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