New docket item in DC v. Heller

US Supreme Court ^ | Jan 4 2008 | US Supreme Court

[ctdonath2]

Letter from counsel for the petitioners proposing a Lodging of Council Session Transcripts as legislative history of the laws at issue, and copies of local municipal laws regulating the firing of guns in the 19th Centry as history of regulation of firearms in the District of Columbia.

[ctdonath2]

This was added without fanfare to the Supreme Court's docket page for Heller immediately after references to DC's brief and appendix. Can anyone provide links to these documents? I'm particularly curious about the "Council Session Transcripts".

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

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[stevio]

Bump.

[Atlas Sneezed]

I imagine that they are some of the documents that were referenced in the brief, offered to support the assertions made. If a Justice considers the argument critical, h can verify for himself whether the brief accurately characterizes them.

[Fido969]

There has been a lot of various gun regulation over the years - even the “wild west” towns in the 1800 had rules about no firearms could be carried in the town limits.

That is going to attack the idea that firearms regulation is something new.

[LachlanMinnesota]

The thing about the Wild West...it was wild because it did always follow the Constitution because there was a sketchy rule of law...therefore there were things like vigilantes and hangings without trials, and many other things not acceptable today, and violative of the US Constitution...including gun regulation.

[Hawthorn]

> There has been a lot of various gun regulation over the years - even the “wild west” towns in the 1800 had rules about no firearms could be carried in the town limits. <

Not to mention the Old South, where blacks weren't allowed to own guns.

(Just like today's DC Plantation?)

[Tarpon]

Lawless, I think that is the word, like the tribal areas of Pakistan. In the 1800s it applied to many settled areas as well. Continued in some places up until WWII.

A history lesson to figure out how long it might take to settle Iraq and Afghanistan down.

[Renegade]

I remember the black and white cowboy movies where the guys had to check their guns and holsters at the door before entering the saloon .

[steve86]

I remember the black and white cowboy movies where the guys had to check their guns and holsters at the door before entering the saloon.

We still do that in Pahrump. Have to clean up after our horses now, though.

[MrB]

The saloon is private property.

The cowboy in question could choose not to enter the private property if he did not want to relinquish his sidearm.

[Amendment10]

As mentioned elsewhere, John Bingham, the main author of Sect. 1 of the 14th A., included the 2nd A. when he read the first eight amendments as examples of constitutional statutes containing privileges and immunities that the 14th A. made mandatory for the states to respect. So there is no doubt in my mind that the 2nd A. now protects the personal right to keep and bear arms from both federal and state governments as much as any other personal right protected by the Constitution. See the 2nd A. in the middle column of the page from the Congressional Globe, one of the precursors to the Congressional Record.

http://tinyurl.com/y3ne4n

In fact, it can be argued that what DC v. Heller is actually testing is how corrupt the Supreme Court is.

Also, consider that despite our 2nd A. protections, the Swiss have essentially made fools out of the US, in my opinion, by successfully integrating firearms management into their culture, effectively reducing crime.

http://www.stephenhalbrook.com/articles/guns-crime-swiss.html