Archive for the ‘Second Amendment’ Category

Leader of heavily armed ‘militia’ driving on 128 says Second Amendment gives them the right to protect Maine from foreign invasion – Universal Hub

The leader of the group of heavily armed Moorish sovereign citizens who held an hours-long stand off on Rte. 128 in July is suing over his arrest and continuing lockup - and is demanding $1,000 a day in recompense for his time behind bars plus written apologies from Charlie Baker, Maura Healey and the troopers who put him in cuffs for what he claims is a violation of his and his fellow gun slingers' Second Amendment rights.

In a handwritten complaint filed in US District Court in Boston - one of three filed by Moorish sovereign citizens against Massachusetts this week - Jamhal Talib Abdullah Bey of Providence, formerly known as Jamhal Lattimer, cites a bevy of cases from outside New England and one case involving stun guns in Massachusetts that he says protects the rights of armed militias to pack weapons to protect themselves and that his group should never have been questioned, let alone arrested, in Wakefield while on their way from their Providence headquarters to Maine for training on the "large capacity firearms" they had with them.

He claims these rulings protect the rights of militias like his to prepare for "a foreign invasion from the Northern States, or an act of domestic terrorism in the northern States, such as Maine" and that Massachusetts's strict gun-control laws, which outright ban certain types of automatic weapons:

[C]ould and clearly does have a direct negative effect and impact on the response time, ability, effectiveness and efficiency of any militia trying to help the situation if said militias had to either: travel around Massachusetts, adding at least an additional 7 hours of travel, plus gas, or somehow, during foreign invasion or terrorism, unload their firearms, apply for an FID card, wait for approval and destroy or trade in their standard and high capacity magazines before the militiamen can ever do their job in protecting the Constitution Union. No military organization will ever burden itself in that manner, the former nor the latter.

He claims that a federal court decision created a legal definition of an acceptable militia - that its members wear uniforms, have a chain of command, open-carry weapons and practice with their weapons - just like he and his fellow Rise of the Moors members were doing, or trying to do when stopped. In fact, the case he cites involved a Lebanese man brought to the US to face charges after he and members of a Lebanese militia hijacked a plane with American passengers on board. In its ruling, the court was not defining a militia under the Second Amendment but describing how the man and his fellow militiamen boarded and then hijacked a plane getting ready for takeoff from Beirut's airport.

Bey also cites the 2008 Heller decision in which the Supreme Court recognized that the Second Amendment grants people the right to own guns for self protection.

However, he seems to have missed two recent decisions in federal court in Massachusetts that hold that even the Heller decision has limits and that there's a limit to what can be considered weapons for "self protection."

In 2019, US District Court Judge Allison Burroughs - who was assigned Bey's case - ruled that while Heller means states can no longer totally ban all weapons, they can still place restrictions on them, including enacting requirements that gun owners must first obtain a license. She noted that Heller was not absolute, that it allows governments to ban gun ownership by the mentally ill or people with prior gun convictions. Burroughs cited a 2017 case in which the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit - which covers Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico - upheld the right of Massachusetts towns to set requirements for gun ownership.

Just two days after Burroughs' ruling, the appeals court ruled Massachusetts could bar specific types of assault weapons because they go way beyond the "self protection," as defined by the Supreme Court, that nobody needs a gun that can fire 10 or more rounds in rapid succession to protect themselves. The court contrasted the weaponry with the small stun guns the Supreme Court ruled Massachusetts could not ban, because they can be used for self protection without threatening the lives of large numbers of people at once.

The record contains ample evidence of the unique dangers posed by the proscribed weapons. Semiautomatic assault weapons permit a shooter to fire multiple rounds very quickly, allowing him to hit more victims in a shorter period of time. LCMs [large-capacity magazines] exacerbate this danger, allowing the shooter to fire more bullets without stopping to reload. ... It is, therefore, not surprising that AR-15s equipped with LCMs have been the weapons of choice in many of the deadliest mass shootings in recent history, including horrific events in Pittsburgh (2018), Parkland (2018), Las Vegas (2017), Sutherland Springs (2017), Orlando (2016), Newtown (2012), and Aurora (2012).

Unusual for a complaint by a Moorish sovereign citizen, Bey, a former Marine, concludes his complaint by avowing he is a "proud American" - typically, they will say they are, in fact, citizens of Morocco not subject to American laws. Bey does state, after saying he is American, that he is also "a Moroccan citizen."

Complete complaint (3.3M PDF).

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Leader of heavily armed 'militia' driving on 128 says Second Amendment gives them the right to protect Maine from foreign invasion - Universal Hub

NRA: Blocking Chipman Is A Win But Biden’s War On Gun Rights Isn’t Over – The Federalist

Amid the media frenzy surrounding President Joe Bidens decision to pull his Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) pick, David Chipman, the National Rifle Association (NRA) tells The Federalist that no Biden nominee will respect the constitutional rights of Americans.

The NRA does not expect an administration as anti-gun and radical as Bidens to nominate anyone who supports the Second Amendment and cares for the constitutional rights of American citizens, NRA spokeswoman Amy Hunter said. That said, were pleased we defeated Chipman, who was on record as a radical gun control proponent and who could have imposed widespread bans and countless attacks on [Second Amendment] rights.

Biden yanked Chipmans nomination Thursday after it became clear not enough lawmakers would back him. The senior policy advisor at Giffords, a gun-control group, has been roundly scrutinized for his controversial positions and actions. As The Federalist reported in July, Chipman claimed in 2019 he was frustrated by the First Amendment freedom of gun owners to say things he disapproved of.

Republican leadership indicated to The Federalist that Chipman was an inadequate nominee and other potential picks must show consideration for the rights of Americans.

Mr. Chipmans disregard for the Second Amendment was radical, even for the Senate Democrats who killed his nomination, a spokesman for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said. Leader McCarthy would support a nominee who stands with law enforcement and respects the Second Amendment a glaring omission in Mr. Chipmans resume.

A baseline qualification for anyone to be considered for this position would be a strong support for the Second Amendment and the rights of law-abiding gun owners, said Lauren Fine, spokeswoman for House Minority Whip Steve Scalise.

While the NRA is pleased with Chipmans withdrawal, the organization is still convinced the Biden administration has little regard for the Second Amendment. In August, for instance, Republicans on the Second Amendment caucus slammed the White House for altering the legal definition of a firearm.

In Chipmans defeat, weve won the most immediate threat to our rights, Hunter said. But, we expect many more battles in the future as long as Biden remains in office.

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NRA: Blocking Chipman Is A Win But Biden's War On Gun Rights Isn't Over - The Federalist

NRA instructor trains thousands of inner city women ‘to ensure theyre never victims’ – Fox News

An NRA instructor described as "the Lefts worst nightmare" helped train thousands of minority women from Detroit on how to safely protect themselves with guns "to ensure theyre never victims."

"The left thinks the Second Amendment wasnt made for people who look like us. They said the same thing during the Jim Crow era too," NRA instructor Rick Ector, who is black, said in a video published by the NRA on Thursday morning.

Ector held a two-day annual event at the end of August where he helped train 4,000 minority women from inner city Detroit on gun safety and use, explaining that Americans deserve to use their Second Amendment rights to protect themselves as gun crimes continue to increase.

PSAKI: GUN CONTROL A 'PRIORITY,' BIDEN 'NOT AFRAID OF STANDING UP' TO THE NRA

"If simply taking guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens was the answer, Detroit would be the safest place on earth. Instead, its seen a 53% increase in shootings in 2020 alone," Ector said. "In fact, last weekend, Ive trained 4,000 lovely women to ensure theyre never victims. And this isnt about politics for me its about common sense."

Detroit was among cities across the nation last year that saw a sharp increase in shootings, with Motor City notching a 19% increase in homicides in 2020 over 2019, and a 53% increase in nonfatal shootings.

"There's a wave of criminal violence sweeping across all big cities in America, fueled by politicians hellbent on dismantling the police, releasing criminals onto the streets, and failing to enforce the gun laws on the books. Instead of protecting their constituents, these politicians continue to push their extreme gun control agenda," NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre told Fox News.

"Law-abiding Americans are going out in droves arming themselves and getting trained because they know a gun is the best way to protect themselves and their loved ones."

The women of Detroit who Ector trained echoed LaPierres comments, expressing they are grateful for the courses amid the increase in gun crimes.

BIDEN ANNOUNCES SLATE OF GUN CONTROL ACTIONS, CLAIMS 'PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS'

"In Detroit, yeah, the crime is increasing and you know, we just need something to protect ourselves," one woman who Ector trained said in the video.

Another woman added: "I just moved out so I'm kind of living on my own, and I sometimes work nights, and I be out at night. No one wants to walk alone at night and feel unprotected. Especially in this society and what happens today."

26 GOP AGS FILE BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF SECOND AMENDMENT, CONCEALED CARRY LAWS AT SUPREME COURT

"Our focus is to push our message out across America to all law-abiding citizens that firearms education and safety are important no matter where you are or who you are," the NRAs second vice president, Retired Lt. Col. Willes K. Lee, added of the two-day event.

As for Ector, he said that after being "brainwashed" that gun ownership was "bad," he one day found himself being robbed at gunpoint in his own driveway. He was able to get the suspects to flee by telling them a "whopping lie" that he had a house full of guns and trained gun users.

"They fled," Hector said. "On that day, I made a promise to myself that I would never look down the barrel or be defenseless ever again, and I would use my experience to help others."

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"Rick is the embodiment of the NRA's spirit of volunteerism that prevails among our millions of members. For years, he has led a crucial and substantive effort to help make Detroit a safer place. We are proud to have Rick as an NRA member, instructor, and member of our Outreach Committee," LaPierre added in his statement.

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NRA instructor trains thousands of inner city women 'to ensure theyre never victims' - Fox News

Constitution Day 2021: Celebrating the Bill of Rights – Yellowhammer News

The United States is a relatively young country, but we have the oldest written national constitution. On this Constitution Day, we honor this incredible document, which has persisted for over two centuries and inspired a host of other constitutions around the world.

Today marks the 234th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution. Our Constitution has endured for so long thanks to a combination of unique features. As I discussed last year, one of the most important features is the way the Constitution divides power both among the three branches of the federal government and between the federal government and the 50 states. Another key feature is its protection of individual rights. Several prominent members of the founding generation believed that no legitimate law of the land could exist without specific, written guarantees of individual liberties. Their conviction eventually inspired the first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights begins with the First Amendment, which enshrines rights that are most fundamental to a free society, among them the freedom of religion and the freedom of speech. By protecting these essential liberties, the First Amendment affirms the right of every citizen to worship God in accordance with his conscience and to freely speak his mind.

The Second Amendment, which recognizes the right of citizens to keep and bear arms, enables the American public to protect the rights spelled out in the First Amendment and in all the other amendments that come after it. As George Mason, one of the principal advocates for a federal bill of rights, explained in 1774, an armed and capable citizenry is necessary to protect our ancient laws and liberty from tyranny. Historys most brutal dictators all rose to power while presiding over unarmed subjects: neither Stalin, nor Hitler, nor Mao, faced significant armed civilian resistance. By guaranteeing American citizens the right to defend themselves, the Second Amendment ensures that our nation will always have a check against despotism, both foreign and domestic.

The next eight amendments in the Bill of Rights list additional protections of individual freedoms. For example, the Fourth Amendment guards the right to be free from unreasonable searches or seizures, and the Eighth Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishments. And the last of the original amendments, the 10th, protects both individual citizens and the states in which they live from federal overreach. It accomplishes this by affirming that any powers not granted to the federal government are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

These protections of liberty are among the most remarkable in the world. But we must not take them for granted. As history shows us, merely codifying rights on paper is not enough. Libyas constitution, for example, guarantees its citizens numerous human fundamental rights and freedoms, including equal civil and political rights, yet Libya remains plagued by an active slave trade, pervasive governmental corruption, and a litany of other human-rights abuses. North Korea has its own bill of rights, which rings equally hollow.

The reason Americas guarantee of rights has succeeded where others have failed is because our Bill of Rights is reinforced by a strict separation of powers, a federalist structure containing fifty sovereign states, and the liberty-loving spirit of the American people. As long as we hold fast to these principles and maintain our defense of liberty, we will be able to celebrate Constitution Day for centuries to come.

Jay Mitchell is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama

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Constitution Day 2021: Celebrating the Bill of Rights - Yellowhammer News

Rep. Roy speaks about the importance of Article 2 of the Constitutional Amendment – Texasnewstoday.com

Rep. Chiproy (R-TX) outside the Houses of Parliament in Washington, DC (Photo courtesy of Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images)

Rep. Chiproy (Republican) said Joe Bidens Democrats have become more tyrannical and are pursuing gun rights. In a video released by his press office on Tuesday, Republicans in Texas explained why it was more important than ever to support Article 2 of the Constitutional Amendment.

Roy argued that a gun for self-defense was very necessary because of the Biden border crisis and the Democratic Partys attempt to defend the police.

My Democratic colleague wants to make my streets less secure by funding the police, so I want the right to Article 2 of the Constitutional Amendment, he insisted. My borders are wide open and run by cartels while dangerous individuals are pouring across borders, so I want my second amendment right.

The Democratic proposal, which appears to keep civilians safe after repaying police funds, appeared to target gun owners who enjoyed their rights.

The Texas gentleman gave up the game when he was talking about a friend of the North Carolina amendment, to prevent the city from continuing the stupid policy of funding the police. He explained. She said you dont have to do that, and she talked about these great programs targeting guns.

Roy also said he remembers when the individual criminals who abused the weapons were held accountable, not all civilians with guns, noting that crime had been significantly reduced. .. Democrats have proposed a law in which Texas legislators say they will reduce the freedom of Texas and all Americans.

Roy emphasized that one of the most important reasons for supporting Article 2 of the Constitutional Amendment is to balance power between citizens and their governments.

One of those issues is to be able to maintain, maintain and protect the rights of Article 2 of the Constitutional Amendment, he said. It sets this country far apart from other countries in terms of the proper balance between people and government power. Its a great equalizer.

Following the release of the video, Roy retweeted it to make a final comment. He said the only true defense from tyranny was armed civilians.

Rep. Roy speaks about the importance of Article 2 of the Constitutional Amendment

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Rep. Roy speaks about the importance of Article 2 of the Constitutional Amendment - Texasnewstoday.com