With the Court set to review state and local prohibitions on certain types of rifles, state governments may soon be up against the wall.
For too long now, several state governments have been guilty of performing some kind of assault weapons ban, in the hopes of trying to stop their sale and distribution within their state. But all it’s done is raise concern amongst legal gun owners – and now the Supreme Court might be stepping in to review said rules, and that’s something Gun Owners of America spokesman Stephen Willeford is excited to see.
- The Supreme Court has begun looking over cases involving some kind of local or state-issued assault weapons ban, and could be looking into others.
- As it’s done in the past, the Supreme Court could easily utilize the Second Amendment of the Constitution to knock down such unnecessary bans.
- Such a move would be a huge win for pro-gun groups and private gun owners alike, who firmly believe in the right for everyone to bear arms.
The Supreme Court has recently taken up challenges to two assault weapon ban cases, and it could be moving into more based on what it finds. The Court is in a primary position to reaffirm what the Second Amendment of the Constitution stands for, and the rights that are provided for citizens – rights that seem to be taken away when such unnecessary assault weapons bans are put in place.
In one particular case – District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) – the late Justice Antonin Scalia noted that the Second Amendment protect weapons “in common use at the time,” in contrast to “dangerous and unusual weapons.” He was pointing out how certain rules should only restrict weapons fall outside ordinary civilian ownership – and that does not include assault weapons.
The Second Amendment clearly protects weapons that are “typically possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes.” The assault weapons in question fit into this category, with hundreds of thousands of people owning them across the United States.
The “common use” rule also came into play with the more recent New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen from 2022, in which it clearly ruled against the state’s restrictive gun laws.
Will the Supreme Court strike back against such laws? Willeford, who himself is a firm believer in everyone’s right to bear arms, joins us now to discuss the situation further. We welcome him to the show!
Q&A:
- Why would states set up strict assault weapons bans in their state to begin with Are they really that concerned about the distribution of certain rifles, such as the AR-15?
- Why do they believe an outright ban would work when violence is clearly escalating even with them in place, such as with “active shooter” events?
- Each time the Supreme Court has discussed such bans, it’s had no trouble knocking them down. Is that really much of a surprise considering how the bans go against the protections provided by the Second Amendment of the Constitution?
- Do you believe the Supreme Court will go after similar assault weapon ban laws, especially as it looks over two recent cases surrounding them?
- If they somehow see their laws knocked out by the Supreme Court, what could these states attempt to do next to curb the sales of assault weapons?
- You recently wrote a book called A Town Called Sutherland Springs: Faith and Heroism Through Tragedy, revolving around your 2017 “hero with a gun” situation. Tell us more about how this came together, and why it’s such an important read right now.
- Where can people find your book?
- Where can we learn more about you, as well as Gun Owners of America?
- You can learn more at http://www.thebarefootdefender.com. You can also read more about the Gun Owners of America at https://www.gunowners.org/.
About Stephen Willeford…
Stephen represents Gun Owners of America and is known around the country as the “good guy with the gun” for helping stop the largest Texas mass shooting in the history of the state in 2017. He is available to speak about all gun rights issues, as well as the importance of Gun Owners of America. He is the author of the book A Town Called Sutherland Springs: Faith and Heroism Through Tragedy. You can read more about him at http://www.thebarefootdefender.com.
CONTACT: Todd Baumann at 512-966-0983 or by email Jerry McGlothlin at bookings@specialguests.com.
