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Published On: Tue, Mar 27th, 2018

Former SCOTUS Justice John Paul Stevens gives GOP rallying call, ‘repeal the second amendment’

Just when political analysts would clearly predict a massive seat gain in November for Democrats, former Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens on Tuesday called for the repeal of the Second Amendment, the constitutional right used to defend gun ownership.

In a New York Times op-ed, Stevens said the March for Our Lives demonstrations and civic engagement in the wake of last month’s Parkland, Fla., school shooting “demand our respect.”

And while protesters were calling for legislation that would ban semi-automatic weapons, increasing the minimum age to buy guns and establishing more comprehensive background checks, he said they should seek a “more effective and more lasting reform.”

“Concern that a national standing army might pose a threat to the security of 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,'” Stevens wrote. “Today that concern is a relic of the 18th century.”

Stevens pointed to District of Columbia v. Heller, the 2008 landmark case that protected an individual’s right to possess a firearm as a turning point.

The ruling overturned “long-settled understanding of the Second Amendment’s limited reach,” he said, and gave the National Rifle Association “a propaganda weapon of immense power.”

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

Stevens has received push back over the op-ed and may have confirmed the conspiracy theories of Republicans that leftists want a gun ban.

Amending the Constitution requires securing two-thirds majorities in both the House and the Senate — and then three-fourths of the states would have to ratify the amendment.

Based on the political landscape of the country, that would never pass.

Chris Cox, the executive director of the NRA lobbying arm, said Tuesday that the NRA, a majority of the American people and the Supreme Court, “believe in the Second Amendment right to self-protection and we will unapologetically continue to fight to protect this fundamental freedom.”

“The 97-year-old retired justice has long held the opinion that American citizens do not have the individual right to own a firearm for self-protection,” Cox said in a statement. “Emboldened by the mainstream media, the gun-control lobby is no longer distancing themselves from the radical idea of repealing the Second Amendment and banning all firearms.”

Cue Hollywood:

“Former Supreme Court Justice advocating for repeal of 2A today, so don’t tell me it can’t be done. It can be, and should be.” – @michaelianblack

“Most frequent argument I get from 2A supporters is they want the ability to fight tyranny of their own government. Absurd. Gun tyranny is already costing us over 30,000 lives per year; every two years = TOTAL number of American deaths in Vietnam war.” – @michaelianblack (no mention of suicides and gang violence which constitute over 2/3 of that figure, BBJ The Dispatch)

More from Black:

“I’ll say it – assault weapons aren’t the problem. Handguns are the problem. By all means, ban AR-15s and the like, but handguns kill far more people. The solution is to repeal and replace the Second Amendment. Make gun ownership a privilege, not a right.”

and

“Yes. Having the ready ability to take someone’s life is dominion over that person; gun ownership could be viewed as slavery by another name. https://twitter.com/dolphinfan1984/status/977987761620779008 

 

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About the Author

- Writer and Co-Founder of The Global Dispatch, Brandon has been covering news, offering commentary for years, beginning professionally in 2003 on Crazed Fanboy before expanding into other blogs and sites. Appearing on several radio shows, Brandon has hosted Dispatch Radio, written his first novel (The Rise of the Templar) and completed the three years Global University program in Ministerial Studies to be a pastor. To Contact Brandon email [email protected] ATTN: BRANDON

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