TyroneNorwood3:05PMJun 26th 2008

I don't know why we have to take a stand on every issue. Anyone with a brain that the Supreme Court would uphold the 2nd Amendment. That's not the problem. Our major cities are in trouble. Children are dying at unbelievable and unbearable numbers. Gun control is necessary and we are trying to find a solution. The 2nd Amendment works in small town America but for Philadelphia, New York City, Washington D.C., the Constitution should not prevent local governments from enacting what Obama calls "common sense laws." You hear gun control and people loose their minds like we want to do away with the 2nd Amendment. We want our children safe from dying in the street from automatic weapons.

TyroneNorwood3:19PMJun 26th 2008

America needs local gun laws for the safety of the children. I don't believe that anyone will argue that the 2nd amendment should have been upheld. Do you need an AK47 or a M-16 to shoot deer? If small town American needs guns I am all for it. Our children are dying in the larger cities all across America and John McCain should address this issue. Dave you should address this issue it's not important how Sen. Obama will play this how are you playing it and Sen. McCain playing it when the youth of our country is paying for it with their lives.

Pete4:22PMJun 26th 2008

Constitutional Originalists will point towards the wording and the intent of the second ammendment and state that its purpose is to protect citizens from the government. The ammendment's aim was to explicitly prevent the crackdown on millitias and other homebrewed defense organizations that was perpetrated by the British. Likewise, it was intended to prevent the ordinary citizen from being helpless in the face of the central government much in the same way that the average Japanese citizen was banned from owning owning weapons and organizing into groups for mutual defense.

Those same Originalists would point out that, beyond such a context, people do not have a right to own a weapon. They'd explain that American citizens have a right to defend themselves from the opressions of their government if the worst were to happen, but such a right does not translate into a "right to have weapons."

This recent supreme court ruling extends a wide Penumbra from such an Originalist perspective. The ruling recognises a citizens home as his castle, and that citizens are entitled to use a weapon to defend their homes. While such a right is not enumerated in the constitution in explicit terms, it can be derived much like other tertiary rights such as the right to privacy. It has been solely by tradition that citizens have enjoyed this luxury until now, but with the recent supreme court ruling, the tradition of having a weapon to defend your home is now codified.

What surprises me about this decision is not the outcome, but the makeup of the respective majorities and minorities. Originalists such as Alito, Scalia, and Roberts broke with their traditional philosophies to extend the right to weapons beyond a literal and Originalist interpretation of the constitution. Justices Stephens, Souter, and Ginsburg, whom traditionally apply a more organic method to constitutional interpretation, uncharacteristically stuck to the Originalist perspective here. These more progressive justices chose against the codification of tertiary rights, and refused to extend a penumbra beyond the explicit right for organization in protection from the government.

You have to admit, that's a pretty unusual twist.

tom11:02AMJun 27th 2008

Gun control is a two sided coin. As Obama has clearly stated he has no problem with the father/son culture of hunting together in states such as Montana. But he does have a problem with fifteen year old kids shooting at each other in the inner city. They seem to be lousy shots and frequently kill innocent children. While gun ownership is a constitutioanal right, so is equality. A gug used in a crime is inquality, Therefore using a gun in a crime is unconstitutioanl. One solution would be to mae it a federal crime to use a gun in a crime punishable by say 25 years imprisonment. Thus all crimes involving a gun would be investigated by the FBI, perhaps a better use of their time as opposed to listening in on our phone conversations

Ray6:52PMJul 16th 2008

Some of the liberal new's reporter's want to say that the conservative's ane not as excited about voting for Sen. McCain as the Obama folk's are for him.
Well we good an decent conservative's do know what is at stake with this upcomming election an we will turn out in the many million's an you can take that to the bank. The conservative's are just not making fool's of themselve's like the libera democrat's are.
Oh yes, Sen. McCain realize's that, but he still know's that we will stick by him as well!!!!