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John Paul Stevens: Repeal the Second Amendment
New York Times ^ | March 27, 2018 | JOHN PAUL STEVENS

Posted on 03/27/2018 5:35:55 AM PDT by reaganaut1

Rarely in my lifetime have I seen the type of civic engagement schoolchildren and their supporters demonstrated in Washington and other major cities throughout the country this past Saturday. These demonstrations demand our respect. They reveal the broad public support for legislation to minimize the risk of mass killings of schoolchildren and others in our society.

That support is a clear sign to lawmakers to enact legislation prohibiting civilian ownership of semiautomatic weapons, increasing the minimum age to buy a gun from 18 to 21 years old, and establishing more comprehensive background checks on all purchasers of firearms. But the demonstrators should seek more effective and more lasting reform. They should demand a repeal of the Second Amendment.

Concern that a national standing army might pose a threat to the security of the separate states led to the adoption of that amendment, which provides that “a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” Today that concern is a relic of the 18th century.

For over 200 years after the adoption of the Second Amendment, it was uniformly understood as not placing any limit on either federal or state authority to enact gun control legislation. In 1939 the Supreme Court unanimously held that Congress could prohibit the possession of a sawed-off shotgun because that weapon had no reasonable relation to the preservation or efficiency of a “well regulated militia.”

During the years when Warren Burger was our chief justice, from 1969 to 1986, no judge, federal or state, as far as I am aware, expressed any doubt as to the limited coverage of that amendment.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2ndamendment; 97yearsold; banglist; decay; dementia; dinosaur; fossil; guncontrol; johnpaulstevens; justdiealready; livingfossil; senilestevens
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To: Cheerio

Actually, little Davy looks more like Joseph Goebbels, Reich-minister of Propaganda.

Curious, eh?


121 posted on 03/27/2018 8:56:21 AM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: Magnatron
It’ll take another 50-100 years to get rid of those, but that doesn’t count the smuggling that will take place to replace those that are lost.

If the Commies did actually get the Second Amendment repealed the trafficking in firearms across the Mexican border would dwarf the current drug traffic. Then, again, maybe the Dems would then build the wall.

122 posted on 03/27/2018 9:14:41 AM PDT by OldMissileer (Atlas, Titan, Minuteman, PK. Winners of the Cold War)
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To: reaganaut1

Justice Stevens had originally wanted to amend the Second Amendment to say you have a right to keep firearms in your house, and carry firearms outside your house, “while serving in a militia”.

Now he wants to repeal it all.

There’s nowhere left for him to go after that.


123 posted on 03/27/2018 10:00:43 AM PDT by re_tail20
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To: reaganaut1
John Paul Stevens's supremely unhelpful call to repeal the Second Amendment - WaPo

As far as I know, Jeff Bezos' blog is closed to free viewing. I know the link is useless, included just in case somebody has use for it. Meanwhile, for the headline alone, the left is playing bad cop, good cop.

124 posted on 03/27/2018 10:03:22 AM PDT by Cboldt
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To: reaganaut1
Concern that a national standing army might pose a threat to the security of the separate states led to the adoption of that amendment, which provides that “a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” Today that concern is a relic of the 18th century.

How is that concern a relic?

It is much more a concern today as the federal government continues to grow in size and influence.

The only way that I see it being out-dated is that the states and the "militia" have much, much less power than the federal government any more. The second amendment may not be able to provide the protection it was meant to any longer.

125 posted on 03/27/2018 10:08:22 AM PDT by Washi (DGYHU)
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To: All

I might start caring if John Paul Jones chimes in with an opinion.

John Paul Stevens - well, not so much.


126 posted on 03/27/2018 10:14:55 AM PDT by MplsSteve
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To: Huntress
Former Justice Stevens is 97. I wonder if he actually wrote this piece.

I was thinking that one of his former clerks wrote it, and got the senile old bird to sign it under the pretense of autographing his morning oatmeal packet.

Senile Stevens is going to be 98 in three weeks, BTW.

127 posted on 03/27/2018 10:28:59 AM PDT by kiryandil (Never pick a fight with an angry beehive)
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To: reaganaut1

Every leftist wants to repeal the Second Amendment.

How about we disband the FBI? If they had done their job, act on intel about the crazy kid who threatened to shoot up the school, Cruz would have been picked up and nothing would have happened.


128 posted on 03/27/2018 1:07:54 PM PDT by hattend
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To: Huntress

“Former Justice Stevens is 97. I wonder if he actually wrote this piece.”

Ginsberg probably wrote it for him.


129 posted on 03/27/2018 1:08:56 PM PDT by Amish with an attitude
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To: reaganaut1

go ahead and try


130 posted on 03/27/2018 1:13:16 PM PDT by LeoWindhorse (America First !)
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To: OKSooner

His death would be pointless as he’s no longer on the court.


131 posted on 03/27/2018 4:05:48 PM PDT by Impy (D's might have a registration edge in the district but that doesn't mean I have no virtue to signal.)
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To: reaganaut1; BillyBoy; fieldmarshaldj; NFHale; GOPsterinMA; stephenjohnbanker; AuH2ORepublican

Good, that’s an honest position. Better than pretending it doesn’t exist.


132 posted on 03/27/2018 4:06:17 PM PDT by Impy (D's might have a registration edge in the district but that doesn't mean I have no virtue to signal.)
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To: Tenacious 1

I also wondered about it. The piece is nonsense.


133 posted on 03/27/2018 4:15:24 PM PDT by apocalypto
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To: servo1969

Truth is, these leftists have none of the regard for the morality they try to appeal to.


134 posted on 03/27/2018 4:39:39 PM PDT by Morpheus2009
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To: ScottinVA

Zero armed guards at their kids school either.


135 posted on 03/27/2018 4:40:51 PM PDT by Morpheus2009
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To: reaganaut1
Stevens should disappear.
136 posted on 03/27/2018 4:41:33 PM PDT by right way right (May we remain sober over mere men, for God really is our only true hope.)
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To: Cboldt

Great response comment to the article, and spot on.


137 posted on 03/27/2018 10:00:54 PM PDT by OneVike (I'm just a humble Christian waiting to go home)
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To: reaganaut1

So one spokesman for the left is 97 years old and demented.


138 posted on 03/28/2018 1:46:13 AM PDT by familyop ("Welcome to Costco. I love you." --Costco greeter in the movie, "Idiocracy")
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To: xzins

“...probably members of some despotism that wants to overthrow this government...”

A perfect description of the Democrat Party that has become dominated by psychotic Bolshevists intent on bullying,
re-educating and confiscating whatever they can get their hands on, extra-legally and extra-Constitutionally.

IMHO


139 posted on 03/28/2018 6:47:22 AM PDT by ripley (ose who dis)
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To: reaganaut1

Let’s just scrap the whole Constitution while we are at it, and appoint Obama as life long dictator.
That’s what they would want.


140 posted on 03/28/2018 5:04:09 PM PDT by Aut Pax Aut Bellum (Stay Calm and Carry.)
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