Perhaps you read or heard about the opinion piece by retired Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens in the April 11 Washington Post? Stevens proposes that the Second Amendment be amended with five words: “while
serving in the militia” as a qualifier to the “shall not be infringed” clause.
The retired jurist, a dissenter on both the Heller and McDonald decisions, is incensed that Congress has done nothing to expand the Background check farce or further restrict gun ownership, which he kind of, sort of blames for the spree shootings at Newtown, Conn., and other places.Under Stevens, only the legally armed Americans will be the militia. Certainly not the intent of the Framers.
First, Mr. Stevens: Go for it. If you want to lead that fight to amend the Constitution, go for it. Good luck. Not only would the debate about restoring or restricting gun rights be a healthy exercise—perhaps putting the matter to rest—it would also remind liberals and their Republican enablers that if you do not like what the Constitution says, you do not just ignore it, or twist its meaning to suit you.
Second, Mr. Stevens: What kind of monster are you? Millions of Americans have been abandoned by law enforcement to dwell in neighborhood governed by the rule of fear. Women and men are raped, robbed and assaulted every day. Terrorists still lurk in our midst—including, if my source is correct, at least six lone wolf characters in New York City alone, whom authorities are monitoring until they make a move.
All of this, and Stevens is worried about too Americans with guns. Come on, guy? Really?
Like all liberals, Stevens is detached from the realities of his program.
I can assure you that although it is better now, the neighborhood around the Supreme Court is not a safe place at night. One morning, I walked by a bank with a bullet hole through one of its front window panes, two blocks from the Supreme Court building. The Sunoco station one-half mile from the Supreme Court is robbed three nights a month and after 8 p.m., the store doors are locked and you have to yell through glass at the cashier to run around to get your potato chips and soda, who passes your items to you from a sliding drawer.
Trust me. I know.
But, how would Stevens ever know that? Liberals live in safe neighborhoods, otherwise, they could not be liberals.
Another man who knows about the neighborhood around the Supreme Court is my friend Dick Heller. Heller is what is called in the District of Columbia a “Special Police Officer,” which means he is licensed to carry a gun for work, although he is not an official police officer.
Heller was assigned to the Supreme Court building. Every day at work, he would strap on a handgun, and at the end of his shift, he would turn the gun in and go home unarmed.
Think about it. Heller had a gun to protect the justices and the workers in the building, but once he left the building, his right to keep and bear arms was a dead letter.
Stevens has not sympathy for Heller, who is a simple man, who just wanted to protect himself and his wife. To Stevens, unless Heller is in the militia, he is fodder for the criminals.
Stevens? No worries, he calls U.S. Marshals to escort him wherever he goes.
Heller? Well, he is still in the courts trying to his concealed carry license. He is still working as an SPO in Washington and riding his bike home through crazy neighborhoods abandoned by the police.
If you want to get a message to him, pass it to me. I will see him at the National Rifle Association convention at the end of the month.