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Glockmeister, as the professional gun writers keep saying, DC vs. Heller does confirm our inalienable, absolute right to keep and bear arms - on Federal lands and enclaves. The decision does not extend to state and municipalities. Perhaps Justice Scalia felt that because of the incorporation aspect of the Fourteenth Amendment he did not need to explicitly state, "This right applies everywhere in the United States of America, including all fifty states, all counties and all cities and smaller municipalities." But for whatever reason, he did not spell out our right to keep and bear arms in words so plain his intentions are unmistakable and unassailable. That's why McDonald vs. Chicago is to be argued early next year. Building on the principles Scalia outlined in Heller, the NRA and a citizen of the City of Chicago are suing the city over its gun ban laws.
If we the honest gun owners of America win McDonald, while we won't have put a stake through the heart of the anti-gun movement in America we'll at least have hosed it down with holy water, jammed it into its coffin filled with socialist graveyard dirt and nailed the lid down. Personally, even with the unwise Latina woman on the Court I don't see how we can lose this case, with the precedent of Heller on the books. If the decision, which won't be announced until summer 2010, does go our way the fight won't be over. The anti-gunners will try to make it look like the municipalities are complying while using the "reasonable restrictions" exclusion Scalia wrote about to maintain the status quo of de facto civil disarmament.
That in turn might be stamped out by Heller versus DC, in which Richard Heller is suing the District of Columbia again over their refusal in fact to comply with Heller's requirements as laid down by Justice Scalia. Heller II if decided our way might well define what are the restrictions considered "reasonable," and what form cities' compliance must take.
We are going to have to practice constant vigilance. Unless we can get a ruling from the Supreme Court that explicitly says what our gun rights are, and that they are to be left alone by both the Congress and lower governments (fat chance!), the anti-gunners will never give up. Short of a revolution and a new Constitution that specifically says "The right of the people to keep and bear arms is absolute and individual; and shall not be infringed by any Federal, state, county or municipal law, regulation, order, ordinance or decree," we the honest shooters of America are not going to see this issue settled in our favor in our lifetimes.
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