Posted on 09/16/2015 8:24:38 AM PDT by HomerBohn
This past week Jeb Bush was a guest on The Late Show with new host Stephen Colbert when Bush said something that some conservative voters might find shocking.
When Colbert asked the Governor if the Constitution implied a national right to gun ownership, Bush seemed to indicate that he believed each state had the right to legislate gun ownership as they see fit.
Stephen Colbert: Well, the right to have an individual firearm to protect yourself is a national document, in the Constitution, so shouldn't that also be applied national
Jeb Bush: No. Not necessarily There's a 10th amendment to our country, the Bill of Rights has a 10th amendment that says powers are given to the states to create policy, and the federal government is not the end all and be all. That's an important value for this country, and it's an important federalist system that works quite well.
After the story broke, the Bush campaign contacted the Daily Caller to explain that Bush is a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment and that he wasn't trying to argue that states have the right to limit the 2nd Amendment.
Governor Bush is a strong 2nd amendment advocate and reiterated his view that the federal government should not be passing new gun control laws. He believes in states rights and as Governor of Florida he used the 10th Amendment to expand gun rights with a "Six Pack of Freedom" bill and received an A+ ratings from the NRA.
While I appreciate what Governor Bush was trying to say in the interview, that the states are supposed to have as much power as the federal government (thus creating our federal system), on this issue, he is wrong. See, that's the whole point of the Bill of Rights. It's an enumeration of our specific rights that the federal government AND the states must respect. If the 2nd Amendment did not exist then his 10th Amendment argument would make sense.
Colbert wasn't asking if the government could expand gun rights, he was saying that since the right to gun ownership is nationally mandated so too should gun laws be nationally mandated.
While Jeb tries to use a states-right argument here, he should have simply turned Colbert's argument back on itself. Because the Constitution mandates the right to gun ownership, this means that the federal government (and the state governments) have no right legislating against gun ownership. If we can't trust Jeb to counter a simple and easily refuted attack on the 2nd Amendment, how can we trust him with more complex issues?
Just shot himself both times in the foot.
50% of whatever support he may have had just vaporized.
4% now?
Arguably, the Several States have more right to control freedom of speech and religion (CONGRESS shall make no law...) than they do RKBA. The 2nd Amendment doesn’t say a damn thing about Congress. IT does say someth the about the Right of the People, though.
With the 14th Amendment, the First Amendment is supposed “incorporated.” That is, it applies to the Several States as well as the Federales. So why isn’t the Second Amendment incorporated, too?
Question is, who is he trying to please?.......Lobbyists?
"cool!
He voted down oil exploration off the Florida coast, pro common core, wide open borders with amnesty.........there’s probably more. This guy stepped into the party ring telling us why he shouldn’t.
Confidential to Yeb: the 10th does NOT invalidate the 2nd.
El señor Boosh es un pinche idiota!
...Remember, Ted Cruz is the lawyer who won Heller...
Ted has done a lot of things, but that’s not one of them.
He wrote one of many Amicus briefs to SCOTUS in favor of Heller.
The lawyer who argued and won Heller in front of SCOTUS was Alan Gura.
Jeb Bush is an ass hole!
Not shocking at all: Expected...........................
He clearly does not understand English.
How can he claim to be conservative and not understand the 2nd Amendment?
It sure seems that way. Either that or he believes/knows it is rigged for him to get the nomination and he is aligning himself to draw more dem votes.
He definitely appears to be sinking his candidacy.
I’ve got to hand it to Jebra.
I keep thinking he can’t make a bigger fool out of himself.
He keeps proving me wrong.
Or at the very least, grasp that other people do.
I didnt see the Jeb Bush on the Late Show. But right now Im glad that Im not a Jeb Bush apologist.
Look at the Second Amendment Jeb! You are going all Democrat/Socialist here. You are Dead to me Bush III!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.