Notes From HPS
BY Herschel Smith
9 years, 10 months ago
In a huge victory for supporters of gun rights, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas Fort Worth Division issued a ruling Wednesday declaring the federal ban on interstate transfers of handguns unconstitutional. The 28-page opinion in the case of Frederic Russell Mance, Jr. against Attorney General Eric Holder, Jr. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive Director B. Todd Jones was signed by United States District Judge Reed O’Connor.
Read the rest of David’s summary and analysis of it. I have two comments. The first is fairly wonkish, but I’ll go ahead and present it anyway. I read the entire opinion. The judgment cites the example of long guns being able to be sold across state lines, and doesn’t note any further stipulations on those sales. In fact if I am not mistaken, current regulations stipulate that long guns may only be sold across state lines in adjoining states. Of course that regulation is ridiculous just as the ban on handgun sales across state lines is also ridiculous, but I’m only noting what I understand to be current regulation. Second, this is a very strong and good opinion. We’ll have to see if it holds up on appeal. I suspect that a more progressive court will reverse this judgment.
This, by the way, is hardly a new position for Bloomberg, although this might be the most baldly he has articulated it. As NYC’s mayor, Bloomberg presided over the NYPD’s explosive expansion of “stop-and-frisk” policies, whereby the Fourth Amendment rights of the people were contingent on them not being young, male, and African-American or Hispanic.
Kurt makes a very good point. Bloomberg was a racist before this episode. As for the stop and frisk policy, the SCOTUS approval of “stop and identify” was certainly a heinous part of their history. Perhaps their shame will follow them beyond the grave. One can only hope.
I have a challenge for Dr. Gottlieb and his Igor Workman: Why don’t we get together at the NRA Convention, somewhere off venue of course, and debate these issues? If your case is so strong and ours is so weak, what do you have to lose? Let’s see how your strawman arguments stand up to facts and searching examination of opposing argument.
I’d like to debate them too. Don’t hold your breath Mike.
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On February 12, 2015 at 11:12 am, DCP said:
There is no federal law restricting the purchase of long guns to contiguous states. There are/were some states that had that restriction in their state law.