RE: 2 Challenge Gun Cases, Citing Bush Policy

2002-06-03 Thread Ed Stone

At 07:17 PM 6/2/02, Lucky Green wrote:
In United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U.S. 542 (1876), the Supreme Court
held that:

...

The right to bear arms is not granted by the Constitution; neither is
it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its existence. The
second amendment means no more than that it shall not be infringed by
Congress, and has no other effect than to restrict the powers of the
national government.

 the 2nd Amendment solely
constrains Congress from infringing upon the right to keep and bear arms
while leaving the Executive free to infringe upon this right, or deny
its exercise entirely, at will.

The Executive is part of the national government that Cruikshank says is 
restricted by the 2nd amendment, yes?

Under Cruikshank, Congress may not pass a bill infringing on the right
of the citizens to keep and bear arms, but a Presidential Executive
Order that all private citizens are to turn in their guns tomorrow
passes Constitutional muster.

Then Cruikshank didn't mean to include the President as part of the 
national government that it found to be restricted by the 2nd amendment?

ten years later in Presser v.
Illinois, 116 U.S. 252 (1886).

The provision in the Second Amendment to the Constitution, that 'the
right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,' is a
limitation only on the power of Congress and the national government,
and not of the States.

Again, Presser says the 2nd amendment restricts the president from such an 
executive order, yes?




RE: 2 Challenge Gun Cases, Citing Bush Policy

2002-06-03 Thread Ed Stone

And in 1908 in Twining, the USSC found that the 5th amendment was similarly 
a limitation upon the national government, not the state governments, i.e., 
the states are not required by the fifth amendment to abstain from 
requiring a defendant to incriminate himself in testimony. But the first 8 
amendments have been progressively extended to the states by application of 
the 14th amendment.

For example, the fifth circuit, just eight months ago, finds the invididual 
model prevails not only over the national government, but also the states, 
and it declares that Cruikshank fails to establish any principle governing 
any of the issues.. regarding the 14th amendment's extension of the Bill 
of Rights to limit the power of the states.

13. In United States v. Cruikshank, 23 L.Ed. 588 (1875), the Court held 
that the Second Amendment is one of the amendments that has no other 
effect than to restrict the powers of the National Government.

Id. at 592. In Presser v. Illinois, 6 S.Ct. 580, 584 (1886), the Court, 
reaffirming Cruikshank and citing Barron v. Baltimore, 8 L.Ed.
672 (1833), held that the Second amendment is a limitation only upon the 
power of congress and the national government, and not upon that of the 
state. And, in Miller v. Texas, 14 S.Ct. 874 (1894), the Court held, with 
respect to the second and fourth amendments that the restrictions of 
these amendments operate only upon the federal power, and have no reference 
whatever to proceedings in state courts, citing Barron v. Baltimore and 
Cruikshank. As these holdings all came well before the Supreme Court began 
the process of incorporating certain provisions of the first eight 
amendments into the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and as 
they ultimately rest on a rationale equally applicable to all those 
amendments, none of them establishes any principle governing any of the 
issues now before us.

http://laws.lp.findlaw.com/5th/9910331cr0.html




RE: 2 Challenge Gun Cases, Citing Bush Policy

2002-06-03 Thread Lucky Green

Ed wrote:
 At 07:17 PM 6/2/02, Lucky Green wrote:
 In United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U.S. 542 (1876), the 
 Supreme Court 
 held that:
 
 ...
 
 The right to bear arms is not granted by the Constitution; 
 neither is 
 it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its 
 existence. The 
 second amendment means no more than that it shall not be 
 infringed by 
 Congress, and has no other effect than to restrict the powers of the 
 national government.
 
  the 2nd Amendment solely
 constrains Congress from infringing upon the right to keep and bear 
 arms while leaving the Executive free to infringe upon this 
 right, or 
 deny its exercise entirely, at will.
 
 The Executive is part of the national government that 
 Cruikshank says is 
 restricted by the 2nd amendment, yes?

One might read the decision this way, if the Supreme Court had not
specifically written that The second amendment means no more than that
it shall not be infringed by Congress.

The national government is simply mentioned in the decision because the
question at bar was if the 2nd applied to the States via the 14th. Under
Cruikshank, the Supreme Court ruled that it does not. The Court held
that the 2nd only constrained the national government, not the States,
and of the national government, only Congress.

[...]
 ten years later in Presser v.
 Illinois, 116 U.S. 252 (1886).
 
 The provision in the Second Amendment to the Constitution, 
 that 'the 
 right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be 
 infringed,' is a 
 limitation only on the power of Congress and the national 
 government, 
 and not of the States.
 
 Again, Presser says the 2nd amendment restricts the president 
 from such an 
 executive order, yes?

Under Presser, such an executive order by the President would likely be
considered unconstitutional.

FYI, the Supreme Court has since revisited, and overturned itself, in
just about every aspect of Cruikshank, *except* that the 14th does not
extend the 2nd to the States. Which was the issue that Steve Schear
inquired about and to which I responded with my post.

--Lucky




RE: 2 Challenge Gun Cases, Citing Bush Policy

2002-06-03 Thread Ed Stone

At 07:17 PM 6/2/02, Lucky Green wrote:
In United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U.S. 542 (1876), the Supreme Court
held that:

...

The right to bear arms is not granted by the Constitution; neither is
it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its existence. The
second amendment means no more than that it shall not be infringed by
Congress, and has no other effect than to restrict the powers of the
national government.

 the 2nd Amendment solely
constrains Congress from infringing upon the right to keep and bear arms
while leaving the Executive free to infringe upon this right, or deny
its exercise entirely, at will.

The Executive is part of the national government that Cruikshank says is 
restricted by the 2nd amendment, yes?

Under Cruikshank, Congress may not pass a bill infringing on the right
of the citizens to keep and bear arms, but a Presidential Executive
Order that all private citizens are to turn in their guns tomorrow
passes Constitutional muster.

Then Cruikshank didn't mean to include the President as part of the 
national government that it found to be restricted by the 2nd amendment?

ten years later in Presser v.
Illinois, 116 U.S. 252 (1886).

The provision in the Second Amendment to the Constitution, that 'the
right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,' is a
limitation only on the power of Congress and the national government,
and not of the States.

Again, Presser says the 2nd amendment restricts the president from such an 
executive order, yes?




RE: 2 Challenge Gun Cases, Citing Bush Policy

2002-06-03 Thread Ed Stone

And in 1908 in Twining, the USSC found that the 5th amendment was similarly 
a limitation upon the national government, not the state governments, i.e., 
the states are not required by the fifth amendment to abstain from 
requiring a defendant to incriminate himself in testimony. But the first 8 
amendments have been progressively extended to the states by application of 
the 14th amendment.

For example, the fifth circuit, just eight months ago, finds the invididual 
model prevails not only over the national government, but also the states, 
and it declares that Cruikshank fails to establish any principle governing 
any of the issues.. regarding the 14th amendment's extension of the Bill 
of Rights to limit the power of the states.

13. In United States v. Cruikshank, 23 L.Ed. 588 (1875), the Court held 
that the Second Amendment is one of the amendments that has no other 
effect than to restrict the powers of the National Government.

Id. at 592. In Presser v. Illinois, 6 S.Ct. 580, 584 (1886), the Court, 
reaffirming Cruikshank and citing Barron v. Baltimore, 8 L.Ed.
672 (1833), held that the Second amendment is a limitation only upon the 
power of congress and the national government, and not upon that of the 
state. And, in Miller v. Texas, 14 S.Ct. 874 (1894), the Court held, with 
respect to the second and fourth amendments that the restrictions of 
these amendments operate only upon the federal power, and have no reference 
whatever to proceedings in state courts, citing Barron v. Baltimore and 
Cruikshank. As these holdings all came well before the Supreme Court began 
the process of incorporating certain provisions of the first eight 
amendments into the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and as 
they ultimately rest on a rationale equally applicable to all those 
amendments, none of them establishes any principle governing any of the 
issues now before us.

http://laws.lp.findlaw.com/5th/9910331cr0.html




RE: 2 Challenge Gun Cases, Citing Bush Policy

2002-06-03 Thread Lucky Green

Ed wrote:
 At 07:17 PM 6/2/02, Lucky Green wrote:
 In United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U.S. 542 (1876), the 
 Supreme Court 
 held that:
 
 ...
 
 The right to bear arms is not granted by the Constitution; 
 neither is 
 it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its 
 existence. The 
 second amendment means no more than that it shall not be 
 infringed by 
 Congress, and has no other effect than to restrict the powers of the 
 national government.
 
  the 2nd Amendment solely
 constrains Congress from infringing upon the right to keep and bear 
 arms while leaving the Executive free to infringe upon this 
 right, or 
 deny its exercise entirely, at will.
 
 The Executive is part of the national government that 
 Cruikshank says is 
 restricted by the 2nd amendment, yes?

One might read the decision this way, if the Supreme Court had not
specifically written that The second amendment means no more than that
it shall not be infringed by Congress.

The national government is simply mentioned in the decision because the
question at bar was if the 2nd applied to the States via the 14th. Under
Cruikshank, the Supreme Court ruled that it does not. The Court held
that the 2nd only constrained the national government, not the States,
and of the national government, only Congress.

[...]
 ten years later in Presser v.
 Illinois, 116 U.S. 252 (1886).
 
 The provision in the Second Amendment to the Constitution, 
 that 'the 
 right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be 
 infringed,' is a 
 limitation only on the power of Congress and the national 
 government, 
 and not of the States.
 
 Again, Presser says the 2nd amendment restricts the president 
 from such an 
 executive order, yes?

Under Presser, such an executive order by the President would likely be
considered unconstitutional.

FYI, the Supreme Court has since revisited, and overturned itself, in
just about every aspect of Cruikshank, *except* that the 14th does not
extend the 2nd to the States. Which was the issue that Steve Schear
inquired about and to which I responded with my post.

--Lucky




Re: 2 Challenge Gun Cases, Citing Bush Policy

2002-06-02 Thread AARG! Anonymous

and being able to kill each and every one from behind. 
Don't expose yourselves -- always shoot from behind. But know this one thing 

Aim for the head, and use fragmenting/hydrashock ammo. Exploded heads seem to disturb 
others the most.




Re: 2 Challenge Gun Cases, Citing Bush Policy

2002-06-02 Thread Steve Schear

At 07:36 PM 6/1/2002 -0400, Ed Stone wrote:
At 07:36 PM 5/31/02, you wrote:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/31/politics/31GUNS.html

WASHINGTON, May 30 Two men charged with carrying pistols without a 
license in the District of Columbia have invoked the Bush 
administration's position on guns to seek the dismissal of their cases.

Reversing decades of Justice Department policy, the Bush administration 
told the Supreme Court this month that it believes the Second Amendment 
protects an individual's right to possess firearms.

Lawyers for the two men, Michael Freeman and Manuel Brown, say the 
position is inconsistent with a ruling in the United States Court of 
Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Today, the Justice Department urged the continued prosecution of the men. 
The controlling precedent upholds the city's firearm statutes, even 
though it contains reasoning that is inconsistent with the position of 
the United States, the department said in court papers

Looks like it is the position of the Department of Justice of the United 
States of America that the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution conveys 
rights, as against potential Government powers to the contrary, for an 
Individual not in the military to keep and bear arms, albeit subject to 
reasonable regulation thereof.

The Justice Department's urging of continued prosecution of the men looks 
like DOJ views a blanket proscription of an individual's possessing or 
bearing a firearm to be a reasonable regulation of firearms.

Assuming that the current position of the DOJ is that it believes the 
Second Amendment protects an individual's right to possess firearms, then 
if a municipality can prevail in requiring that only police officers may 
posses guns, and pass Constitutional muster, can that municipality prevail 
in requiring that only police officers may enjoy free speech? Or petition 
the Government for redress of grievances? Or refuse to testify against 
themselves? Why not?

Cases in which the United States Governmnent has found an individual's 
rights found in the United States Constitution essentially voidable by a 
city council are rare, I hope? Unusual? So pre-9/11

I think whether the 2nd is enforceable against states and municipalities 
will depend upon the SC deciding to apply the 14th Amendment.  The Supreme 
Court has long held that the 14th Amendment does not make all of the Bill 
of Rights applicable to the States. Only those rights the Court finds to be 
fundamental apply. To this day, several portions of the Bill of Rights, 
including the right to indictment by grand jury, to a jury trial in any 
common-law suit over $20, and to the rules of the common law in judicial 
review of jury fact-finding, have not been held to be fundamental and to 
this day are not applicable to the states.

Is the right to keep and bear arms a fundamental right? Obviously the NRA 
would argue that it is. But the Supreme Court would be well within 
precedent if it were to hold that given modern conditions, a right to keep 
and bear arms, like a right to a jury trial for a 20-dollar dispute, can no 
longer be said to be so implicit in the concept of ordered liberty as to be 
fundamental. If it so held, the 2nd Amendment would remain applicable to 
the Federal Government, but would not apply to the States, which would be 
free to use their militia regulatory powers to regulate guns as they see fit.

steve




Re: 2 Challenge Gun Cases, Citing Bush Policy

2002-06-01 Thread Ed Stone

At 07:36 PM 5/31/02, you wrote:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/31/politics/31GUNS.html

WASHINGTON, May 30 Two men charged with carrying pistols without a license 
in the District of Columbia have invoked the Bush administration's 
position on guns to seek the dismissal of their cases.

Reversing decades of Justice Department policy, the Bush administration 
told the Supreme Court this month that it believes the Second Amendment 
protects an individual's right to possess firearms.

Lawyers for the two men, Michael Freeman and Manuel Brown, say the 
position is inconsistent with a ruling in the United States Court of 
Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Today, the Justice Department urged the continued prosecution of the men. 
The controlling precedent upholds the city's firearm statutes, even 
though it contains reasoning that is inconsistent with the position of the 
United States, the department said in court papers

Looks like it is the position of the Department of Justice of the United 
States of America that the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution conveys 
rights, as against potential Government powers to the contrary, for an 
Individual not in the military to keep and bear arms, albeit subject to 
reasonable regulation thereof.

The Justice Department's urging of continued prosecution of the men looks 
like DOJ views a blanket proscription of an individual's possessing or 
bearing a firearm to be a reasonable regulation of firearms.

Assuming that the current position of the DOJ is that it believes the 
Second Amendment protects an individual's right to possess firearms, then 
if a municipality can prevail in requiring that only police officers may 
posses guns, and pass Constitutional muster, can that municipality prevail 
in requiring that only police officers may enjoy free speech? Or petition 
the Government for redress of grievances? Or refuse to testify against 
themselves? Why not?

Cases in which the United States Governmnent has found an individual's 
rights found in the United States Constitution essentially voidable by a 
city council are rare, I hope? Unusual? So pre-9/11?




Re: 2 Challenge Gun Cases, Citing Bush Policy

2002-06-01 Thread Nomen Nescio

   Is there any other possible interpretation other than that 
we have no other choice than to take up arms against the police,
the FBI, or any other TLA, that seeks to deprive us of our rights?
   Ask yourselves -- what would Jefferson or Washington do at this moment?
Ask yourselves -- what is your personal responsibility? 
   For myself -- I can think of nothing personaly more fulfiliing than to 
come upon a cop or a SWAT team arresting someone for drug or gun violation,
and being able to kill each and every one from behind. 
   Don't expose yourselves -- always shoot from behind. But know this one thing -- you 
are morally upright, and the more cops you kill, the more holy 
you are!




Re: 2 Challenge Gun Cases, Citing Bush Policy

2002-06-01 Thread AARG! Anonymous

and being able to kill each and every one from behind. 
Don't expose yourselves -- always shoot from behind. But know this one thing 

Aim for the head, and use fragmenting/hydrashock ammo. Exploded heads seem to disturb 
others the most.




Re: 2 Challenge Gun Cases, Citing Bush Policy

2002-06-01 Thread Ed Stone

At 07:36 PM 5/31/02, you wrote:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/31/politics/31GUNS.html

WASHINGTON, May 30 Two men charged with carrying pistols without a license 
in the District of Columbia have invoked the Bush administration's 
position on guns to seek the dismissal of their cases.

Reversing decades of Justice Department policy, the Bush administration 
told the Supreme Court this month that it believes the Second Amendment 
protects an individual's right to possess firearms.

Lawyers for the two men, Michael Freeman and Manuel Brown, say the 
position is inconsistent with a ruling in the United States Court of 
Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Today, the Justice Department urged the continued prosecution of the men. 
The controlling precedent upholds the city's firearm statutes, even 
though it contains reasoning that is inconsistent with the position of the 
United States, the department said in court papers

Looks like it is the position of the Department of Justice of the United 
States of America that the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution conveys 
rights, as against potential Government powers to the contrary, for an 
Individual not in the military to keep and bear arms, albeit subject to 
reasonable regulation thereof.

The Justice Department's urging of continued prosecution of the men looks 
like DOJ views a blanket proscription of an individual's possessing or 
bearing a firearm to be a reasonable regulation of firearms.

Assuming that the current position of the DOJ is that it believes the 
Second Amendment protects an individual's right to possess firearms, then 
if a municipality can prevail in requiring that only police officers may 
posses guns, and pass Constitutional muster, can that municipality prevail 
in requiring that only police officers may enjoy free speech? Or petition 
the Government for redress of grievances? Or refuse to testify against 
themselves? Why not?

Cases in which the United States Governmnent has found an individual's 
rights found in the United States Constitution essentially voidable by a 
city council are rare, I hope? Unusual? So pre-9/11?




Re: 2 Challenge Gun Cases, Citing Bush Policy

2002-06-01 Thread Nomen Nescio

   Is there any other possible interpretation other than that 
we have no other choice than to take up arms against the police,
the FBI, or any other TLA, that seeks to deprive us of our rights?
   Ask yourselves -- what would Jefferson or Washington do at this moment?
Ask yourselves -- what is your personal responsibility? 
   For myself -- I can think of nothing personaly more fulfiliing than to 
come upon a cop or a SWAT team arresting someone for drug or gun violation,
and being able to kill each and every one from behind. 
   Don't expose yourselves -- always shoot from behind. But know this one thing -- you 
are morally upright, and the more cops you kill, the more holy 
you are!