Justice Scalia: Guns Not Just for Crime

NewsMax ^ | 2/26/06 | NewsMax

[wagglebee]

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia fondly remembers carrying a rifle around New York City as a boy and says outdoorsmen should attack the idea that guns are only used for crimes.

An avid outdoorsmen who's hunted with Vice President Dick Cheney, Scalia spoke Saturday at the National Wild Turkey Federation's annual convention.

"The attitude of people associating guns with nothing but crime, that is what has to be changed," Scalia told the audience of about 2,000.

"I grew up at a time when people were not afraid of people with firearms," said Scalia, noting that as a youth in New York City he was part of a rifle team at the military school he attended.

"I used to travel on the subway from Queens to Manhattan with a rifle," he said. "Could you imagine doing that today in New York City?"

Scalia was criticized in 2004 for hunting ducks with Cheney while the Supreme Court was considering a case involving Cheney's energy task force. This month, a lawyer hunting with Cheney in Texas was wounded when he stepped in the way as Cheney fired at a bird.

The nonprofit turkey federation is dedicated to conserving wild turkeys and preserving hunting traditions.

[Lauretij2]

It's actually not strange. Both sides are scared to death of a 'final' USSC decision on guns. The court is often unpredictable, and may try to find some 'middle ground' that both sides can't stand.

[Dead Corpse]

Now if we can get them to over turn the NFA of '34, the GCA of '68, that FOPA of '86, and the '89 Import ban. Maybe we could get back to the 50 State Alaska style carry laws that the Founders originally envisioned.

[GSlob]

After the natural weeding out [aka "survival of the fittest"] period only the more responsible ones would likely remain.

[Gondring]

When my father taught high school, his students carried their guns to school, on the school bus! He was the coach of the rifle team, and many kids would take their firearms into school to work on in the shop, etc.

[Gondring]

When an elderly relative of mine was interviewed a few years ago by a high-school student, he was explaining how mumbledy-peg is played. He started with, "well, you take your pocket knife..." and I'm not sure who was more shocked--the kid, that my relative had carried a knife in school--or my relative, that any of the boys now don't carry a knife.

[Inyo-Mono]

When I was in high school back in the mid-1960s, a friend of mine got an "A" for a project he worked on in metal shop. He built a .50 cal muzzle loading pistol!

[Bender2]

Check out DNR seeks input on deer hunting (But You Know The New York Slimes)

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

QUOTED FOR POSTERITY--and a REALITY CHECK!!!

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When I was 12, I actually had a scabbard on my bike, to carry my .22. I could ride through town, to Western Auto, park the bike, walk into the store, with the rifle, buy my weekly needs of ammo, get back on the bike, and go hunting.
Does anyone else remember buying 10 .22 long rifle loads, or 5 shotgun shells, because it was all you could afford?
When I was 18, I crewed on a commercial snapper boat, I would walk a couple of miles to the city dock, with a Lee Enfield slung over my shoulder, at 2 AM. One morning, a cop stopped me on the bridge, asked me where I was going, I told him "fishing", and he gave me a lift to the dock, and shared his thermos of coffee with me. He never even asked if the rifle was loaded! Imagine that, a "cop" assuming that a "civilian" kid, had sense enough to carry a gun, without calling in the SWAT bunch.
I am amazed, in retrospect, at just how quickly my life has gone by, and by just how much our freedoms have suffered, in such a short time.

13 posted on 02/26/2006 2:12:49 PM PST by SWAMPSNIPER

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I used to walk out of my house in the Germantown section of Phila at 17 with my 15 year old brother carrying a shotgun and walk two blocks to the trolley get on ride for 1/2 hour get off take a bus into Ambler PA and walk 1 mile to go hunting and NOBODY even gave a damn
That was back in 1953

People wouldn't believe that when I tell them that today

And the police didn't ear vests as a daily part of their uniform

18 posted on 02/26/2006 3:28:15 PM PST by uncbob

[HiTech RedNeck]

"Well, it's not just for crime it's also for hunting."

Not much help there, Judge.

[patriciaruth]

My memories of childhood include Dad using his rifle to protect us.

He once shot a rattlesnake coiled up and ready to strike some of the kids, including my sister, playing near it.

He and the men of the neighborhood would go down to the canal and shoot moccasins to make the area safer for the kids.

He told us about going out with his Dad to get rabbits for dinner during the Depression.

Now my brother uses his rifle to get the turtles and coyotes that come around for the geese and the cats.

And not long ago my sister-in-law grabbed a shotgun and scared off a meth-head that had smashed through the front window to rob their home while she was there alone.

It's not for crime, it's for protection and in bad times for feeding your family.

[old republic]

But then again, the 2nd A. really isn't about the standing military, either. Although I think it was presumed during the founding that the National Military (which was supposed to be kept at a minimum) and the local Militias were supposed to be working cooperatively.

Of course, after the Civil War, the Federal Gov't. seems to have reconsidered the idea of relative local / State military autonomy, and that was pretty much the end of the "Militia" system as a serious tactical element in America.
By the mid 1890s the "Militia" became "National Guard", subject to federalization.

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You nailed it right on the head Jaque.

[tom paine 2]

yeah guns are to protect us from tyranny first and foremost.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

And the police didn't ear vests as a daily part of their uniform

Police wear vests because it is known that they are an armed threat to any criminal they actually happen upon.

If the Police were unarmed, they wouldn't need vests.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

I always carried at least one knife to school. A girl I knew carried a pistol her father gave her. That was in Madison, WI, in the late 1980's. I've still got that knife in my pocket right now - a little 3" blade mounted on a polished antler handle.

[VRWCmember]

Does anyone else remember buying 10 .22 long rifle loads, or 5 shotgun shells, because it was all you could afford?

I don't remember that, but I remember when a box of 50 .22 long rifle cartridges was only $0.50. I also remember all the back to school sales at the local stores would always feature reduced prices on shotgun shells (9, 8, or 7 shot) because it coincided with the opening of dove season. For a long time you could always look forward to buying your shells at $2.97 for a box of 25 shells each fall.

[farmer18th]

God, please give us more justices like Scalia. It's so nice to have someone with a brain on the court.

[Still Thinking]

"I used to travel on the subway from Queens to Manhattan with a rifle," he said. "Could you imagine doing that today in New York City?"

And which NYC was safer to live in? Draw any obvious conclusions, libs? (not you, wagglebee)

[longtermmemmory]

I bet the nonprofit turkey federation has preserved its target species better than the endangered species act.