Opinion

Gun control and the 14th Amendment

Thursday, February 25, 2021

It’s never too late to learn, and I have done a bit of that this week. In discussions surrounding the nomination of Merrick Garland as Attorney General, and his flaccid support for the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, I learned that the Second Amendment was somewhat tied in with the Fourteenth Amendment. I never knew that.

I have always associated the Fourteenth Amendment with citizenship rights of folks born on United States turf. It was enacted to protect the rights of former slaves, but had the unintended consequence of enabling the practice of “anchor babies.” I wish there were a more gentle way of saying that, but it is what it is. When we think of anchor babies, our minds naturally drift to the south. Folks from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua pop over the border while pregnant and bingo, we have a new United States citizen who is eligible for all rights and privileges. That’s not always the case. It’s also a practice among Asian and Eastern European folks as well. It’s a tourist industry unto itself.

Enough about race and nationality. The subject makes me uncomfortable, as it should all of us.

What I didn’t recall about the Fourteenth Amendment was that it basically includes a restatement of the supremacy clause. The original supremacy clause as written in 1787 said, “This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every State shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.”

That’s clear enough, but the Fourteenth Amendment, adopted 80 years later reads, “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Well, that too covers the Second Amendment, so we might have a bit of cover.

As I understand it, the goals of the Biden/Harris gun regulations are three-fold. First, they want universal background checks. I have a little bit of wiggle room on that one. Folks with a history of violence should be limited to a hammer or a bar of soap in a tube sock rather than the more efficient tools of destruction, but I remain concerned about who makes that determination. Is it the next-door neighbor? The ex-girlfriend? Or worse yet, the government? I can see a lot of ways that can go wrong.

The second leg of their gun reform program concerns magazine size. I should first congratulate them for addressing something that actually has to do with the function of a gun rather than its appearance. I would then say, “good luck with that.” Let’s remember that a magazine is a low-tech device. It’s a box with a spring in it. They have always been easy to manufacture, and now with 3-D printers available, there’s a black market just waiting to happen. We can also take two of legal capacity, tape them together (inverted), and with a quick turn of the wrist, there’s not much difference in function.

The third wobbly leg on the Biden/Harris gun-control stool is a rehash of the “assault” weapons ban of 1994, which is arguably the most stupid, ill-considered law ever passed through congress. It outlawed the sale of guns based largely on aesthetics like folding stocks, pistol grips, flash suppressors, and bayonet lugs. One did not need a bayonet to be out of compliance, just a place to mount one.

The favorite target of gun critics is, of course, the AR-15 and its many clones. I don’t own one, but it’s estimated that somewhere between five and ten million people in the United States do. The popularity of the AR and its variants is due in part to the fact that it does resemble the M-16, which has machismo appeal. We can’t deny that much, but it’s also a modular system. It’s like Legos (or for folks my age, the Erector Set). They are customizable and efficient. That’s why people like them.

Unfortunately, on the odd, sad, tragic occasion that an over-medicated white kid shoots up an elementary school, it tends to be with an AR or variant. It’s for the same reason that most vehicular homicides happen with Fords or Chevrolets. They’re just popular. They’re out there. It doesn’t make it less horrible, but the press prefers to go for the low-hanging fruit of the equipment rather than tackle the more difficult social motivations behind those atrocities. It seems that we are unable to blame the behavior of the person, so we blame the tool.

What offends me is that the left only cares when there is a mass shooting, and the daily carnage associated with gang activity and the pharmaceutical trade taking place in cities across our country goes widely ignored. Ironically enough, that comes from the people who call everyone who disagrees with them “racist.” Let’s see if the Biden/Harris administration cares to address those issues.

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  • *

    Miguelito, for a white guy who says, "Enough about race and nationality," you sure have no trouble blathering a diatribe of your ammosexuality and your disturbingly misplaced fear of other races and nationalities.

    You are pretty transparent, amigo.

    You know that, no?

    -- Posted by BlueWillow on Thu, Feb 25, 2021, at 7:11 PM
  • I'm not really clear on why we cannot discuss race and nationality, when the Left does nothing else!

    Semper fi

    -- Posted by berettasskeeter on Fri, Feb 26, 2021, at 9:45 PM
  • *

    Yet another proud racist/nationalist. #Sad

    Vos estis pauciores

    -- Posted by BlueWillow on Sat, Feb 27, 2021, at 1:26 AM
  • The only reason Biden and his idiotic cult are pushing for outlawing guns, restricting magazine capacities, and making it more difficult to either buy or build ammo is because they have crap planned that would get them shot. A decades old attempt at circumventing the 2nd amendment. The ever popular left wing thought process that thinks abolishing certain weapons will reduce crime. Yeh, let’s disarm the public, then criminals will quit being criminals..... Instead of handling red flag situations (which largely go ignored until it’s too late), let’s disarm the innocent... Ever notice ALL mass shootings happen at gun free zones? When will these idiots realize that if a criminal wants a certain weapon, he’s going to get one. Hell, I can get one of 4 different full auto weapons in less than an hour. Can make one in half a day. It’s not difficult to obtain a weapon of “mass destruction” if you want one... Let’s concentrate on the illnesses/mental issues that make certain people snap and leave the 99.999% of us that don’t, the hell alone!

    -- Posted by Jim Foster on Mon, Mar 1, 2021, at 7:00 PM
  • *

    Jim, you just advocated for the assassination of the President and stated that you have easy access to or can fabricate illegal automatic weapons.

    FBI, are you reading this?

    Who's the idiot and/or mentally ill?

    -- Posted by BlueWillow on Mon, Mar 1, 2021, at 7:41 PM
  • Blue Willow, can you honestly say you understand the English language? A typical liberal minded, left wing misinterpretation of a written and plainly described scenario. Please tell me you have either been spayed or neutered. I simply stated why and how. You simply blew things completely out of context, like your Democratic Party are so good at. And yes, I or anyone that wants an illegal firearm can easily obtain one. Or make one. Does that simple fact make you wet yourself in fear? Must suck to be so weak. Your mindset is pathetic. And go ahead and notify the FBI, I’m sure they’ll get a kick out of your 6th grade hysteria. Chances are they are 100% in agreement with me. And personally owning a totally legal full auto sub machine gun AND concealed carry, THEY ALREADY KNOW ME.... MAGA 2024, snowflake.....

    -- Posted by Jim Foster on Mon, Mar 1, 2021, at 10:26 PM
  • *

    They'll know you very soon.

    -- Posted by BlueWillow on Mon, Mar 1, 2021, at 10:58 PM
  • Unlike you “Blue Willow” who’s too chicken s... to post your real name. At least I’m not afraid to say what I feel and let the public know who said it. Nicknames on public forums are a classic sign that you’re afraid your friends will find out how you really feel. I don’t have that fear....

    -- Posted by Jim Foster on Tue, Mar 2, 2021, at 7:56 AM
  • I personally know democrats that own guns and are passionate about the 2nd amendment. I also think it is safe to assume that both republicans and democrats do not support children being shot in schools. We have regulations and laws when we drive, when we rent or buy a home, when we walk into a courthouse, when we attend schools...pretty much in every aspect of our lives. Why is coming up with agreed upon gun control/regulations so controversial? Could it be that NRA did a magnificent job of spinning their agenda? Insults will never solve the issue. Americans need to begin working together and our government needs to begin working together if we are to ever move forward.

    -- Posted by bessgill on Thu, Mar 4, 2021, at 3:22 PM
  • Bessgill, if it were that simple. History has proven time and again that ALL gun control/legislation evolves into gun confiscation.

    -- Posted by Jim Foster on Wed, Mar 10, 2021, at 6:44 AM
  • *

    "More recently, further studies on gun control in the US have been released that show stricter laws by US state, and states nearby, are associated with reduced suicide and homicide rates."

    https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2019/mar/20/strict-firearm-laws-reduce...

    I added the link, Jaime, but you won't bother to consider let alone read it. You'll throw out a blog post from liberty-freedom69.net or another "media source." But hey, if you want to evolve, here's your (unlikely) chance.

    No, it's really about little, scared, white boys selfishly clinging to their guns at the expense of countless innocent deaths.

    Nobody's confiscating anything. Grow a pair.

    I bet you consider yourself Christian.

    What would Jesus do?

    -- Posted by BlueWillow on Wed, Mar 10, 2021, at 8:00 PM
  • The Guardian? Oh, Weeping Willow, wow, there's a reputable source....[Insert rolling eyes icon] FBI statistics prove where there are more firearms there are less homicides, murders. What part of "Most firearm related crimes occur at gun free zones" can't you get through your thick skull? And explain to me how disarming me makes me safer? typical liberal "If you just lay your weapon down, the murderer will walk away" mentality. Oh, and Jesus would carry concealed.

    -- Posted by Jim Foster on Thu, Mar 11, 2021, at 7:22 AM
  • *

    You just proved my point, Jaime.

    No, if Jesus would carry concealed, he'd not have allowed himself to be crucified.

    Read the bible and/or a book.

    -- Posted by BlueWillow on Thu, Mar 11, 2021, at 6:15 PM
  • I'm curious, when was the last time guns were confiscated in the U.S.?

    -- Posted by bessgill on Tue, Mar 16, 2021, at 1:16 PM
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