Our Gov is trying to drum up support for another unnecessary piece of legislation: Amendment 2 (we already have 151 amendments to our 1974 Constitution--our 11th since we joined the Union in 1812). Nobody knows where Bobby Jindal is right now, except that he is hanging with wacko neo-con millionaires. He does have time to send emails supporting more of his stupidity. This from an email that arrived on 18 Octobre:
It's time we protected freedom. It's time we protected gun rights. It's time we passed Amendment 2 to our Constitution, so that we have an ironclad guarantee of freedom here in Louisiana.
It's our own Second Amendment, if you will, a new constitutional provision to repair the damage done by past judicial interpretations. You see, over the years, Louisiana courts have applied a 'rational basis' legal standard to interpreting our right to bear arms. In reality, that means that the state has almost unlimited authority to confiscate, prohibit, or infringe on this fundamental right. Make no mistake, I have no intention of allowing such a bill to leave my desk without a veto, but our liberties should not be held hostage to whims of future legislators and governors. By applying the 'strict scrutiny' test, we elevate the protections in our constitution to the same level we provide our right to free speech.
Now I know what you're thinking - the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution already provides for the right to bear arms - so why do we need an amendment to our state constitution?
Our Second Amendment rights at the federal level hang in the balance. In 2008, the United States Supreme Court confirmed that the District of Columbia's ban on the possession of handguns was unconstitutional. It was a victory for gun owners across the country, but the decision hinged on a single justice. If just one justice in the majority flipped his vote, it would have dealt a significant blow to our freedoms. With our rights in such near peril at the federal level, it is vital that Louisiana recognizes the right to bear arms as essential to our liberty.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, when government officials went door-to-door, confiscating firearms, they targeted law-abiding citizens (emphasis mine), mothers and fathers who wanted nothing more than the ability to defend themselves.
That last paragraph is a whopper that the NRA and Fox "News" repeated often following the Federal Flood disaster. The 'government officials' (sounds ominous, doesn't it) were New Orleans Police Officers. The reality is that NOPD confiscated stolen guns--normal police business--and guns that were found in abandoned houses, 552 guns in all. They did not go door to door yanking guns from helpless mothers.
Bobby is very good at telling lies with a teensy kernel of truth to support more frivolous laws, and he is counting on getting the attention of the right wing of the RNC.
It's time we protected freedom. It's time we protected gun rights. It's time we passed Amendment 2 to our Constitution, so that we have an ironclad guarantee of freedom here in Louisiana.
It's our own Second Amendment, if you will, a new constitutional provision to repair the damage done by past judicial interpretations. You see, over the years, Louisiana courts have applied a 'rational basis' legal standard to interpreting our right to bear arms. In reality, that means that the state has almost unlimited authority to confiscate, prohibit, or infringe on this fundamental right. Make no mistake, I have no intention of allowing such a bill to leave my desk without a veto, but our liberties should not be held hostage to whims of future legislators and governors. By applying the 'strict scrutiny' test, we elevate the protections in our constitution to the same level we provide our right to free speech.
Now I know what you're thinking - the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution already provides for the right to bear arms - so why do we need an amendment to our state constitution?
Our Second Amendment rights at the federal level hang in the balance. In 2008, the United States Supreme Court confirmed that the District of Columbia's ban on the possession of handguns was unconstitutional. It was a victory for gun owners across the country, but the decision hinged on a single justice. If just one justice in the majority flipped his vote, it would have dealt a significant blow to our freedoms. With our rights in such near peril at the federal level, it is vital that Louisiana recognizes the right to bear arms as essential to our liberty.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, when government officials went door-to-door, confiscating firearms, they targeted law-abiding citizens (emphasis mine), mothers and fathers who wanted nothing more than the ability to defend themselves.
That last paragraph is a whopper that the NRA and Fox "News" repeated often following the Federal Flood disaster. The 'government officials' (sounds ominous, doesn't it) were New Orleans Police Officers. The reality is that NOPD confiscated stolen guns--normal police business--and guns that were found in abandoned houses, 552 guns in all. They did not go door to door yanking guns from helpless mothers.
Bobby is very good at telling lies with a teensy kernel of truth to support more frivolous laws, and he is counting on getting the attention of the right wing of the RNC.
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