*Previously recorded by Phyllis Schlafly // 8-4-2008*
When the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the District of Columbia’s
ban on private ownership of guns, that was a victory for active advocacy by private
citizens who understand the Constitution and effectively refute judicial heresies.
Fortunately, the United States not only enjoys widespread gun ownership, we
also have large numbers of citizens who understand the Constitution and are willing
to speak up for their rights.
Gun rights advocates, working entirely outside the legal profession, actively
promoted the common-sense truth about the plain meaning and historical context of
the Second Amendment by publishing articles in gun magazines and other journals.
At first, the legal community scoffed at these people as ignorant “gun nuts,” but
eventually, the weight of their logic and historical evidence became overwhelming.
Then came a couple of breakthroughs. On May 17, 2001, Attorney General
John Ashcroft cited many writings by the Founding Fathers as well as Supreme
Court decisions from the early years. He concluded, “In light of this vast body of
evidence, I believe it is clear that the Constitution protects the private ownership of
firearms for lawful purposes.”
The Democrats then had a great awakening about why Al Gore lost the
presidency to George W. Bush in November 2000. Gore lost three traditionally
Democratic states, Tennessee (Gore’s own state), Arkansas and West Virginia
primarily because Gore was a gun-control advocate and those states have lots of
voters whom Barack Obama calls “bitter” because they like their guns.
Despite the gun victory, the Supreme Court is still a major problem because
four liberal justices are diehard supremacists who believe they have the right to
repeal the Second Amendment. The biggest issue in the upcoming election is
whether the newly elected President will fill court vacancies with justices who
respect the Constitution the way it was written.
