What Happened To, “Nobody Wants To Take Your Guns Away”?

Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stevens Calls For Repeal Of 2nd Amendment

Judge John G. Roberts (left) is sworn-in as the 17th Chief Justice of the United States by Associated Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens | Image courtesy of David from Washington DC

Former United States Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens is calling for a repeal of the 2nd Amendment of the Consititution in a New York Times Op-Ed published today. Referring to the March For Our Lives protest this past weekend,

demonstrators should seek more effective and more lasting reform. They should demand a repeal of the Second Amendment.

Stevens’ primary argument is that states (and, in effect, we as citizens) have no need to defend ourselves against the US Federal Government.

Concern that a national standing army might pose a threat to the security of the separate states led to the adoption of that amendment, which provides that “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.” Today that concern is a relic of the 18th century.

For one thing, he seems to be conveniently forgetting recent history. It doesn’t take much thought to recall the events surrounding Cliven Bundy, Ryan Bundy, Ryan Payne, Joseph O’Shaughnessy and others out in Nevada and Oregon to remind us that, indeed, a “national standing army might pose a threat to the security of the separate states.”

Justice Stevens has also not seemed to have come to terms with the landmark Supreme Court ruling of 2008 –

In 2008, the Supreme Court overturned Chief Justice Burger’s and others’ long-settled understanding of the Second Amendment’s limited reach by ruling, in District of Columbia v. Heller, that there was an individual right to bear arms. I was among the four dissenters.

That decision — which I remain convinced was wrong and certainly was debatable — has provided the N.R.A. with a propaganda weapon of immense power.

Notice here that he takes aim at the N.R.A. and their fierce defense of the 2nd Amendment –

Overturning that decision via a constitutional amendment to get rid of the Second Amendment would be simple and would do more to weaken the N.R.A.’s ability to stymie legislative debate and block constructive gun control legislation than any other available option.

Wayne LaPierre speaking at the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland | Image courtesy of Gage Skidmore

Having to deal with political and idealogical opposition such as this, it’s no wonder the N.R.A. has developed such a powerful voice in our country –

“The N.R.A. will not only speak out,” he said, “we will speak out louder and we will speak out stronger than ever before.”

And that’s to say nothing of the history of gun control and its affect on our nation’s minority groups –

For more on the history of gun rights here in the U.S., see this FAQ page from the Second Amendment Foundation.