Thursday, June 26, 2008

Stupid Reaction to Heller Decision

Normally, I won't call another writer stupid, but I can't help it in this case. Colbert King says today's Heller decision is a victory for the killers and thugs who have ruled DC streets for decades.
And to make sure that D.C. gun owners are free to fire their loaded handguns at will, the Supreme Court went one step further and killed the city's sensible requirement that weapons be equipped with trigger locks.

So now it has come to pass that D.C. residents can keep handguns, as well as rifles and shotguns, in their homes. A well armed, informal militia we shall be -- ready to fire back in self-defense at the shooters who believed they had the right to their guns all along.

Flush with victory, a giddy National Rifle Association has announced its intention to file lawsuits in other jurisdictions with tough handgun laws. For starters, the NRA has taken aim at San Francisco and Chicago. See what we have unleashed, D.C.?

America, more body bags, please.
Look, criminals in Washington DC have had nothing to fear when weilding their guns than other criminal. Law-abiding citizens did not keep weapons, other than on pain of criminal sanctions and confiscation, and the criminals knew. They acted with impunity against non-criminals, knowing that they had nothing to fear from someone who they knew wouldn't have a gun to defend themselves.

Now, maybe a criminal will think twice about weilding a gun, after all, your victim might be carrying as well. Maybe the city will be better off if more people had weapons.

Here is the other thing that King got wrong, very wrong, about the decision. Justice Scalia said trigger locks were no permitted, but gun licensing is, background checks are, concealed carry limitations are permissible. So the fact that the Second Amendment still means something in this country is important, but the right to keep and bear arms is not without limiations.

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