Posted on 12/12/2010 11:33:59 AM PST by driftdiver
If you look at the values and the historical record, you will see that the Founding Fathers never intended guns to go unregulated, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer contended Sunday.
Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," Breyer said history stands with the dissenters in the court's decision to overturn a Washington, D.C., handgun ban in the 2008 case "D.C. v. Heller."
Breyer wrote the dissent and was joined by Justices John Paul Stevens, David H. Souter and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He said historians would side with him in the case because they have concluded that Founding Father James Madison was more worried that the Constitution may not be ratified than he was about granting individuals the right to bear arms.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
It would be useful if you were to read some of Justice Thomas’ decisions before you make such a silly statement.
Breyer does have some facts on his side but draws the wrong conclusions from those facts. The original states did ‘regulate’ gun ownership often requiring citizen’s to own weapons and even specifying the caliber of these weapons (and the quantity of powder and shot). This was done in order to ensure the weapons would be effective on the battlefield and to simplify re-supply of ammunition.
Now, how Breyer goes from these facts to believing this means the FF would support denying gunownership is interesting.
Man I hate these revisionists.
I'm tired of all the idiots that smear Justice Thomas. His opinion on gun ownership is brilliant and will be one of the best opinions ever given by the Supreme Court. He votes with Scalia most of the time because Scalia is also brilliant and often there isn't any reason to add to Scalia’s already well-reasoned opinion.
What history is this puke looking at? Liberal-sanitized, rewritten fiction?
no! Not until the Traitor-in-Chief is out of office.
Since he’s JEWISH, I would ask him about should guns be allowed in Israel!! i THINK he would have a different answer!! What a HYPOCRITE!
For the life of me, I will never understand why people believe that Supreme Court justices are any smarter than the common politician.....
...or any less venal.
Are there any qualified judges in middle America that can be a SCJ?? How about TX, AZ, WY, MT?? Why must they be urban judges all the time?
The Founders original intent is crystal clear.
J Breyer does not speak for Madison.
If they never intended guns to go unregulated, why did they give us the second amendment?
An oft used quote of Benjamin Franklin, “Those who would give up a little liberty to gain a little security are deserving of neither,” is actually addressing the refusal of some to arm themselves to defend the frontier and instead, tried to make deals with the then marauders.
The quote can be read in context in a letter he wrote to the Governor of Pennsylvania at http://www.franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp?vol=6&page=238a
The founders gave us the right to bear arms for a reason and Breyer seems to be expressing that reason we need them.
What did he use for his basis for that theory, a seance? Assuming he did, he must have been plugged into the ghost of George III.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State...
[COMMA-denoting the beginning of a new phrase and defining concept]
...the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
The most powerful comma in the world!
If Madison had to contend with punks invading homes [brandishing guns], drive-by shootings, and nut cases shooting up the Post Office - He sure as hell would have told Breyer to STUFF IT !!!
Other than abortion and gay marriage most libs don’t give a damn about individual rights.
They don’t even agree with individual rights on those issues. People must accept those.
Delusional liberal twit. No business whatsoever being on the Supreme Court. Pompous Jackass!!!
Strange that Breyer airily blows off D.C. gun owners and tells them to go pistol target shooting in Maryland, a state known to be very unfriendly to guns and gun owners.
Of course, the main purpose of pistol target practice is to sharpen one’s skills against the occasion when deadly force is the sole means of defense and survival.
Wonder why Breyer didn’t airily suggest taking the subway to go shooting in Virginia, a much more gun friendly state.
This recalls an earlier chief justice who held that the Second Amendment only guaranteed the right to own weapons of the same technology as the year the Bill of Rights was ratified.
He actually held up a muzzleloader flintlock musket and said this is what you can own under 2A as he saw it.
Smug, arrogant, self-satisfied jerks!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.