Could be a very interesting case.
Texas Joins 21 Other States Asking Supreme Court to Protect Second Amendment
Texas joined 21 states asking the Supreme Court to uphold Hawaiians’ Second Amendment rights to bear arms following a ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last year that upheld Hawaii’s ban on residents bearing arms outside their homes.
The states filed an amicus brief with the high court to help resolve a split among the federal circuit courts of appeal after several of the courts ruled against the 2008 District of Columbia v. Heller case, a landmark gun-rights ruling.
“One of the highest responsibilities of a state is to safeguard the rights of its citizens,” the states wrote (pdf) in their brief last week, “including the right ‘to keep and bear arms’ under the Second Amendment.”
The brief added: “Law-abiding citizens keep firearms for self-protection—both inside and outside of their homes. Amici seek to ensure that their residents will not be deprived of their Second Amendment freedoms.” They argued that residents’ Second Amendment rights include using guns outside their homes.
“The plain text of the Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms, not just to keep them,” according to the court filing. “Yet Hawaii’s firearm carrying regulatory regime functions as an outright ban on the right to carry guns outside the home for most people. It therefore violates the Second Amendment.”
[More at link]
Hopefully NCSWIC will happen soon so this won’t even be a problem.
Military Members Say They’ll ‘Quit’ If Army Mandates COVID-19 Vaccine: Congressman
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said he was informed by some members of the U.S. military that they would leave if the armed forces mandated a COVID-19 vaccine, coming after a report claimed Army headquarters told commanders to prepare for mandatory vaccinations in September.
“I’ve been contacted by members of our voluntary military who say they will quit if the COVID vaccine is mandated. I introduced HR 3860 to prohibit any mandatory requirement that a member of the Armed Forces receive a vaccination against COVID-19. It now has 24 sponsors,” Massie wrote on Twitter. He didn’t provide more details.
It’s not clear how the service members could quit or how many would try to do so.
The Republican lawmaker was referring to a report published by the Army Times over the weekend that detailed an executive order sent by the Department of the Army Headquarters that commands should be prepared to administer COVID-19 vaccines starting as early as Sept. 1. The date is contingent on when the Food and Drug Administration issues its full approval of the vaccines.
The Army Times reported it obtained the directive, HQDA EXORD 225-21, COVID-19 Steady State, which reads: “Commanders will continue COVID-19 vaccination operations and prepare for a directive to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for service members [on or around] 01 September 2021, pending full FDA licensure. Commands will be prepared to provide a backbrief on servicemember vaccination status and way ahead for completion once the vaccine is mandated.”
An EXORD is a directive issued by the president to the defense secretary to execute a military operation.
The Epoch Times has contacted the Department of Defense and the U.S. Army for comment. A U.S. Army spokesperson told the Army Times that “we do not comment on leaked documents” and added that “the vaccine continues to be voluntary.”
“If we are directed by [Department of Defense] to change our posture,” the spokesperson added, “we are prepared to do so.”
[More at link]