SENSIBLE? OR SUPERFLOUS?
|| By FITSNEWS || Tennessee’s legislature has overwhelmingly passed a bill which would ban the enforcement of federal gun laws within the state’s borders – assuming those laws run counter to state law. The legislation is currently awaiting the signature of governor Bill Haslam.
“There is no need for Washington D.C. to be the end all and be all with regards to the regulatory world, “said Tennessee Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver. “We should respect our Tenth Amendment and shift the power back to the states.”
Weaver’s legislation states that “no public funds, personnel, or property may be used to enforce any federal law or regulation that regulates the ownership, use, or possession of firearms, ammunition, or firearms accessories, if the expenditure or use of the personnel or property would result in the violation of another Tennessee statute, Tennessee common law, or the Constitution of Tennessee.”
We support the idea behind this legislation, but let’s be clear … the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides for an unrestricted, nationwide right to gun ownership. Empowering states in the defense of that right seems superfluous … not to mention an invitation to empower states wishing to unconstitutionally curtail this right (like Connecticut and New York, among others).
We continue to call for the civil disobedience of any gun law – anywhere – which imposes upon this basic liberty.
We will also continue pointing out that restrictions on gun ownership – like “wars on terror” – do no make us any safer. In fact there is concrete evidence to the contrary.
49 comments
“We should respect our Tenth Amendment and shift the power back to the states.”
Them’s fightin’ words.
Prepare to be invaded.
Spoken by another Republican dumbfuck who never bothered to read the Constitution–read the 14th Amendment, sweetheart.
No problem-o.
But I’m still stuck on the 16th and still looking for how BummerCare is or isn’t what it isn’t … in relation to the 10th and the 2nd.
Awwwww…did poor baby get his panties in a wad over the idea that people might not want to be one big cohesive homogeneous Kumbaya collective?
lol
Look, the 14th was passed right after the civil war, as a result of the civil war.
It can be reasonably argued that it wasn’t even done so legally:
“State legislatures in every formerly Confederate state, with the exception of Tennessee, refused to ratify it. This refusal led to the passage of the Reconstruction Acts. Ignoring the existing state governments, military government was imposed until new civil governments were established and the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified.[19] It also prompted Congress to pass a law on March 2, 1867, requiring that a former Confederate state must ratify the Fourteenth Amendment before “said State shall be declared entitled to representation in Congress”.[20]-Wiki
Now I’m not a Republican, but regardless we can’t ignore history.
I seem to recall we’ve been through this issue before? State laws don’t trump federal. Tennessee’s Republicans need to refresh themselves on Article VI of the Constitution. I thought Republicans revered the Constitution? I guess that’s only when they agree with it?
They hate compromise..
The Constitution would have never existed without compromise.
They don’t give a rat’s ass about the Constitution or they would revere compromise.
More evidence that Grant was far too diplomatic at the end of the Civil War.
Grant would be hanged for war crimes were he alive today…
Not by the winners.
Keep telling yourself that, Rod.
Can’t argue with that fact……………..
Sherman as well.
UNITED…STATES…AMERICA
Let us each ponder what these words mean both jointly and individually…
“[T]he Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides for an unrestricted, nationwide right to gun ownership.”
Indeed, the reading of this one amendment does so. However, when one reads the entire constitution, then other articles and amendments help give the full context.
Perhaps you would like the SCOTUS to overturn Lewis v. United States? Let’s hand out firearms to convicted felons. Hooray!
Maybe we can undo some other case law interpreting said amendment, such as United States v. Miller? It would be fun to have Bonnie and Clyde running through towns again.
Oooh…. You didn’t READ Miller. In fact, the whole hullabaloo in Miller was because the court found that a sawn-off shotgun was not in common use with militaries or militias of the day. Miller actually SUPPORTS ownership of military weapons by the population. Reading. It’s good for you.
NONE of the Amendments contain absolute rights. They have all been restricted over the years, so if you or Fits or whoever are for enforcing the Bills of Rights with no exceptions, I am fine with that. Let’s roll back the 50 years of bad Republican-led US Supreme Court law making exception after exception to the Fourth Amendment, the Fifth Amendment, the Sixth Amendment. Also, let’s go ahead and roll back those child porn laws and beastiality porn laws because they would be protected under the First Amendment.
Quite a mature response.
Indeed, it would appear that you have extrapolated my comment to mean more than I what I actually said.
My initial response was poking fun at Will’s position that we should have complete and unfettered access to all firearms. You somehow took that to mean that I don’t support gun ownership.
Au contraire, Miller has several different holdings. However, it is clear and unmistakeable that Miller also stands for the position that Congress can infringe on the freedom of firearms to some extent–even if it be a minor burden such as registration or a tax. This is not what Will wants the Second Amendment to stand for.
However, to indulge your extrapolation on my opinion, nothing in my comment purports to support or reject gun rights. I likely own many more firearms than you. That said, Miller appears to both support gun-rights activists as well as their counterpart.
So let’s take this a little further. If Tennessee says it’s OK to own an RPG – is that legal? How about a TOW missile? And maybe cannons. Unfettered and unrestricted access to cannons. And what about 30-caliber machine guns. Can we own those too, unfettered. Maybe even take them to schools or use them at high school football games. What if I can own an RPG in Tennessee and I fire it at a deer and accidently hit a federal agent? Is that OK – if I claim the federal agent told me to put it down, and that was an unlawful act on his part. And if we can say it’s unlawful to abide by federal gun laws in Tennessee, does that mean we can now ignore federal tax laws in Tennessee as it pertains to moonshine? And what about evolution, if the state says it’s illegal to include evolution or mention of the Scopes trial in school, and runs afoul of federal mandates on curriculum – is that OK. Maybe we replace Common Core with Hard Core?
Put down the meth pipe and back away slowly, Rocky…
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He’s in with the people who will be bleating the “blood will flow in the streets” and “it will be the wild West” mantras that are chanted anytime an attempt is made to liberalize citizen ownership or carry of weapons. Funny thing is, it never seems to work out that way. It has been a year or two since restaurant carry went into effect and it hasn’t been the case, as so many anti-freedom peeps predicted. In fact, I don’t think there have been as many shootings in Richland County thug bars since this passed, even though just about everyone involved in those shootings would be ineligible to own a gun or have a CWP due to prior criminal history.
Still, if the Constitutional Carry bill of 2015 (hopefully) makes it out of committee tomorrow, the bleats about blood in yhe streets and the wild West will be as numerous as always.
My only real point is this – since when do State’s Rights trump federal control over the Constitution. In this case, the 2nd Amendment. If Tennessee can say federal regulatory statutues over 2nd Amendment issues are not valid, why cannot they also say the same over others – like say the 13th or 14 amendments? Maybe even the 1st?
I’ll bet you ond damn thing:
I’ll bet “Rocky” ain’t responsible for the totaly irrational fear that “Obama was gonna take my guns” BS which resulted in hoarding of ammo, shortage of same and high prices for all.
Talk about endless bleating————- all you heard for months on end was: “Obammer’s gonna take my precious gun from my cold dead hands so I’d better stock up on .380 ammo, emergency rations and make a deposit on a time share bunker out in the sticks”
There are just as many dickheaded dumbasses on the right as on the left and there’s no doubt that the rightwing nuts have the market cornered when it comes to irrational fears and insecurity which results in shortges from everything from ammo to toilet paper
or Iran wants a nuclear weapon?
RPG? You mean like a milk shake bazooka?
BTW: http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2010/03/01/hemmings-find-of-the-day-1944-sherman-tank/ …”Adds a whole new dimension to the term ‘Drive-through’ “. Legal in Maryland, too.
Point of reference: In the USA Volvos harm more children than guns do.
Eddy, what do you have against Volvo? This is about the 4th time you’ve mentioned this.
I hear ya!!!
Citizens should be allowed to have .50 cal anti-aircraft guns – if for nothing else just to shoot down black helicopters (who according to FastEddy123 are transporting UN Troops wearing blue Euro-beenies in support of the Trilateral Commission’s New World Order plan!!!!
I wanna be a merc for the Trilateral Commission – where do I sign up?????
I understand there are shit loads of mercs billeted in the salt mines of Utah just waiting for the green light!!!!!!!!!! I wanna be one of them!!!!!!!
Nullification comes up cyclically. Just not successfully.
… and too bad for that.
The idea of being fully informed is certainly just and fair and Constitutional.
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LOL…low information juries
Supremacy clause…google it Tennessee. I am amazed at how willing Republican legislatures are to throw away tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in passing idiotic laws that they have to defend in court and lose. Where is the fiscal responsibility part of being a Republican?
Funny I don’t remember anyone enforcing DOMA when that activist homosexual judge in California erased Prop 8…I guess laws only matter when they need to…
“… some animals are more equal than others.”
I don’t remember anyone enforcing the clean air act when Bush was in office promoting coal and curtailing lawful regulations on its filthy spew.
Furgitbouttit Ed … Nothing illegal here, move along, move along.
One man’s “idiocy” is another man’s Bill Of Rights. FARC U and that fat butted donkey’s ass you road in on.
An expenditure of a hundred thousand Tennessee Dollar$ on behalf of re-affirmiation of the US Constitution is a very small price to pay for poking the “progressive” gun-grabbing Fascists in the eye.
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It’s all about getting kick back political donations from Law Firms.
Which in turn make millions of dollars fighting these fake laws for the small minded idiots that think that it’s worth taxpayer’s money.
That money isn’t being thrown away if some of it is going into their pockets. I can guarantee you it does, too.
Re-electability trumps fiscal responsibility every time. Just chuck the ignorant masses some red meat from time to time and you’re golden. Ain’t no where better for ignorant masses than the South.
There is no such thing as a frivolous lawsuit of it is filed by a Republican AG.
Have you read the “supremacy clause?” it actually says, if using your mind while reading, that the laws passed by congress are real and enforceable, not just a suggestion, and that in fact states are the final arbiter of what is constitutional; “laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding.” What could that last phrase possibly mean??? I have no idea???
Hey Will, ever heard of the incorporation doctrine? No one thought that meant the bill of rights for the states until later. The federal government is only to guarantee a “republican form of government” to the states and a trial to individuals; i.e “due process.” I am NRA life member but it is still incorrect to make California have relaxed gun laws that their legislature did not pass, or states like this one observe Roe v. Wade. I have notice through several of your posts you lack either an understanding or desire for federalism. Decentralization is critical to having A check on authority, and as a libertarian you should understand that.
excessive punctuation indicates sarcasm…
“…We continue to call for the civil disobedience of any gun law – anywhere – which imposes upon this basic liberty…”
Hey Will, I’ll be over to shoot some skeet in your back yard tonight.
If I bring my trusty old Mossberg 12 gauge pump (bought at Service Merchandise back in 1988), can I get a handicap?????
Nothing says good neighbor quite like target practice with a .44 at 3:00 AM.
Obviously, Tenn. missed the whole point of the Civil War.
The Tenth Amendment does not trump Federal Laws.
There is only one law in the United States and that’s Federal Law.
But, you wouldn’t know it by looking at Tenn. and Colorado (Weed Laws).
It is time for more states to stand up against the dictators in DC! Fiscal responsibility does not mean black mail and being run by a Dictator. I honestly believe America needs a real Revolution!
Eventually…given a long enough time line…all these gun nuts and gun crazies will end up killing each other. We should just get it over with already and rename the the USA to the NRA.
NRA’s been mighty quiet about all these ‘good guy’ cops shooting people down like dogs.
It goes to show that Democrats feel that Criminals have Rights!
Democrats feel Criminals have the right to Murder, Rape, Robb, and Steel without the risk of being shot by a Victims, or a Rescuer.
Democrats feel that a Rapist should not have to worry about the risk of a Woman using a gun to protect herself, but to submit to being Raped!