CONSTITUTIONAL GUARANTEE OF GUN CONTROL BY CRIMINALS

A proposal by former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens to add five words to the Second Amendment would leave gun control in the hands of criminals and gangbangers

Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has a book just out entitled Six Amendments in which he calls for those amendments, including the Second Amendment, to be changed. Stevens would add five words to the Second Amendment so that it would read:

“The right of the people to keep and bear arms, when serving in the militia, shall not be infringed.”

Those five words would effectively take away the current Constitutional guarantee for private ownership of firearms. And that would equate to a Constitutional guarantee of gun control by criminals and gangbangers.

Sunday’s ABC This Week had a video clip of George Stephanopoulos interviewing John Paul Sevens on his proposals to change six amendments. Here is a transcript of that interview as it applies to the Second Amendment:

STEPHANOPOULOS: Justice Stevens' most controversial idea, adding five words to the second amendment. Here's how it would change, "the right of the people to keep and bear arms, when serving in the militia, shall not be infringed."

Wouldn't that take away any limits to what a legislature could do to the rights of gun owners?

STEVENS: I think that's probably right. But I think that's what should be the rule that it should be legislatures rather than judges who draw the line what is permissible.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And you think that's because it's clearly this is what was intended?

STEVENS: Oh, I do think that was what was intended, because there was a fear among the original farmers that the federal government would be so strong that they might destroy the state militias. The amendment would merely prevent arguments being made that congress doesn't have the power to do what they think is in the best public interest.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But to be clear if congress passed a national ban on individual gun ownership, that would be constitutional under your amendment.

STEVENS: I think that's right.

By his own admission, Stevens acknowledges that under his wording of the Second Amendment, Congress could pass a law banning private ownership of firearms.

God help America if that ever came to pass. Then the only ones with guns in this country, other than our police and armed forces, would be criminals and gangbangers. And any law abiding citizens who did not give up their guns would themselves then become criminals.