Civil rights coalition sues San Francisco over public housing gun ban
Posted in Press Releases by R Lee Wrights on June 30th, 2008 by CCRKBA staff
Yesterday’s United States Supreme Court ruling in District of Columbia vs. Heller confirmed what the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms has been saying all along: the Second Amendment does indeed protect a fundamental individual right to keep and bear arms. But because Washington, D.C. is a federal enclave, the Heller ruling applies to the federal government only.
Today, using the Heller decision as the basis for the challenge, the Citizens Committee, in partnership with the National Rifle Association (NRA), filed a civil rights lawsuit to confirm that the Second Amendment restricts state and local governments from infringing on the right to keep and bear arms as well.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court against the City of San Francisco and the San Francisco Public Housing Authority to invalidate the City’s ordinance (Police Code section 617) and lease provision that bans the possession of firearms in public housing
Before the Second Amendment can be used to challenge unconstitutional regulations laws at the state or local level, it must be “incorporated” through the Fourteenth Amendment to apply to the state and local governments. The lawsuit will serve to establish the incorporation doctrine in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, including California, and invalidate the existing ban on firearms in public housing in San Francisco in the process.
In the news today, top mathematicians have determined that two plus two equals four, top theologians proclaim that the Pope is Catholic, and the U.S. Supreme Court declares that the Second Amendment is about an individual’s right to keep and bear arms. In other news of the bleeding obvious…
Following Thursday’s 5-4 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller that the Second Amendment protects an individual civil right to keep and bear arms, and that a municipal gun ban violates that right, the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) filed a federal lawsuit challenging the City of Chicago’s long-standing handgun ban. The case is McDonald v. City of Chicago.
It seems to me that King George II has had success in the American media of justifying the war in Iraq. True, many Americans don’t buy the pro-war arguments. Right wing radio hosts have painted the peace movement as the “hate America first” crowd with some success. There is a 10% truth in that argument: 10% of the peace movement is comprised of communists and other malcontents. The right wing paints the entire movement with that broad brush. The other 90% of the peace movement consists of normal people who just happen to be for peace.
On June 24th 1314 Tyrant Edward II attempted to relieve besieged Stirling Castle in Scotland. Effectively, what is knows as the Battle of Bannockburn won independence for Scotland.
Why is it that so many people treat one’s political affiliation as no more significant than one’s preference of ice cream flavor or choice of hats? People talk as if “politics” is something that polite people shouldn’t bring up, because we wouldn’t want to offend someone who simply has a different political viewpoint. After all, someone’s party affiliation has nothing to do with whether he’s a good person, does it?
Senator David Vitter (R-LA) is planning to introduce a concealed carry reciprocity bill next week.
“If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.”
