‘WE AREN’T GOING AWAY’
No, the Second Amendment
does not extend to a private right
to own bazookas, rocket launchers or RPGs [rocket-propelled
grenades]. When the Constitution was written, the authors
were concerned with making sure
citizens would always have the
right to own personal arms (long
arms and sidearms).
It didn’t extend to cannons
then, or to ballistic missiles today.
The Supreme Court recognized
this distinction in the [District
of Columbia v.] Heller case (in
2008), which is why severe restrictions on the private ownership of fully automatic firearms
imposed in the thirties are seen as
legitimate. The Court said the test
was whether arms in the hands of
the civilian population are widely
owned and commonly used for
legitimate purposes.
It is the explicit language of the
Court in its Heller decision that
forces me to the conclusion that a
ban on semi-automatic long arms
such as Senator Feinstein supports will not meet constitutional
muster if enacted. There are today
more than 4.5 million AR-15s in
private hands. They are the most
used firearm in training and competitive shooting. They are widely
HUFFINGTON
04.07.13
used by hunters (particularly for
varmint hunting) and are often
the firearm of choice for women
seeking a long arm for home protection because of their ease of
handling and light recoil.
So the NRA’s educational and
PR initiatives in effect make banning such weapons all the more
difficult because they are becoming
more “widely owned and commonly used for legitimate purposes.”
We are developing several programs designed to reach beyond
our base support because firearms
are so much more popular today
than they were a decade ago, that
far more women, minorities and
young people are getting involved in
the shooting sports. We’re trying to
reach them not simply to talk about
gun rights, but to let them know
of the many enjoyable activities in
which they might want to engage.
Where do you see all of this
headed?
I have said consistently that
gun owners and the NRA are going to lose a battle or two as we
have in the past. But we aren’t
going to lose the war. Moreover,
we aren’t going away. We have
sometimes taken a decade
or more to roll back obnoxious
restrictions or pass legislation
we believe enhances gun rights,
but we have never rolled
over or given up.