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President Joe Biden may assure the American people that hisprogressive gun control effortswould not in any way impinge on the Second Amendment, but other far-left pundits are more honest about their agenda.

Bill Press, radio host and former co-host of CNNs Crossfire, recently made headlines with an op-ed published by the cable outlet calling for repeal of the Second Amendment. In it, Press declares that the right to keep and bear arms has nothing to do with self-defense, originally was meant to authorize state militias, and is anti-black in its origins.

Press may be more forthcoming about what he wants, but theres still not much that his analysis gets correct.

The right to keep and bear arms belongs to the people, not to the militia.

The phrase the people everywhere else in the Bill of Rights refers to individual citizens. The people may be called upon to employ their private arms in the collective defense of state or nation, and that collective defense should be well-regulated in the sense that the militia should be trained, organized, and efficient. But far from being well-regulated, the underlying individual right shall not be infringed.

Meanwhile, it is not the Second Amendment that was historically racist,but gun control lawsthat stripped certain segments of the population of any meaningful method of defending their rights. The fact that slaves were disarmed belies Press pointtheir oppressors knew all too well that armed slaves would defend their inalienable rights to life and liberty.

As the numbers prove, the Second Amendment continues to serve today as a bulwark of individual liberty, enabling Americans to protect themselves and others from criminals.

Almost every major study on the issue has found that Americans use their firearms in self-defense between500,000 and 3 milliontimes annually, according to the most recent report on the subject by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For this reason, The Daily Signal each month publishes an article highlighting some of the previous months many news stories on defensive gun use that you may have missedor that might not have made it to the national spotlight in the first place. (Read other accountsherefrom 2019, 2020, 2021, and so far in 2022.)

The examples below represent only a small portion of the news stories on defensive gun use that we found in May. You may explore more by using The Heritage Foundations interactiveDefensive Gun Use Database. (The Daily Signal is the multimedia news organization of The Heritage Foundation.)

Bill Press is wrong in his CNN commentary. Repealing the Second Amendment wont make Americans safer. Far from it.

Without the right to keep and bear arms in self-defense, law-abiding Americans like those highlighted above would be more vulnerable than ever to criminals and would-be tyrants alike.

The history of disarming disfavored populations shows this all too well.

Armed people are harder to victimize.

This piece originally appeared in The Daily Signal

See original here:
12 Examples of Defensive Gun Use to Show CNN That Second Amendment All About Self-Defense - Heritage.org

The Heritage Foundation continues to influence state and federal decision-makers with impactful policy research, and the past two weeks were no exception with one Heritage expert testifying twice before Congress on Second Amendment issues.

Amy Swearer, a legal fellow in the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, testified in front of the House Oversight Committee on June 8 to provide solutions to gun violence that do not infringe on the rights of law-abiding citizens.

Swearer also fielded outrageous statements from Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., including an accusation of perjury. In the exchange, Porter preferred to score political points and refused to let Swearer give any explanation. The exchange can be found here.

Swearers powerful opening testimony can be found here.

She noted:

I am fully aware that when youre burying your child, nuanced policy is irrelevant. It doesnt matter to a fourth grader hiding under a desk whether the real problem is a barrel shroud or the several dozen missed chances to intervene.

But it should matter to you.

Because you are the ones making policy decisions. Youre the ones implying that a lot of victims would be alive today but for a mass shooters pistol grip and a background check that he already passed. Youre the ones mocking anyone for talking about doors when a single locked door in Uvalde (Texas) would have saved 21 lives, and when all of us just walked into this building with its limited public access points, one-way locking security doors, and plethora of armed officers.

And she went on to explain why Heritage opposes many of the gun control policies being proposed by Congress and the president in response to recent mass shootings:

We oppose these policies precisely because the lives of these victims mattered, because the grief of their loved ones is real, and because we all want thriving communities where families are flourishing instead of burying their children.

The opposition has always been a genuine concern that those policies suffer from serious constitutional and practical defects. That they wont have the impact you promise people they will.

We have always proposed alternatives that would be more effective and less constitutionally suspect.

We have rarely been met with open ears.

Swearer testified again on June 15 in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on juvenile gun violence.

You can watch her full opening statement here and read her testimony here.

She noted:

The vast majority of juvenile gun deaths are out-of-school suicides and homicides, neither of which receives nearly as much attention. And suggesting that problem is simply guns does everyone a disservice.

Our kids are suffering from a decades-long downward spiral of mental and emotional unwellness, and its leading them to take their own lives at increasing rates, especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Roughly 1,000 high school-aged teens killed themselves with a firearm last year. Roughly 1,000 more killed themselves without a firearm.

Our kids are also increasingly uninterested in going to school, with chronic absenteeism rates in major districts reaching as high as 40% this year. This, unsurprisingly, correlates with kids increasingly engaging in serious criminal behaviors that make it more likely theyll victimize others or become victims of gun violence themselves.

She explained further:

The root of the problem is not guns. Its the underlying causes that create violent environments in the first place.

Parents, and especially low-income and working parents, need more choices when it comes to accessing mental health care for their kids. They also need more choices when it comes to adequate learning environments.

Statistics show clearly that when parents can more easily remove their kids from schools where they are bullied, face violent threats, or are not receiving necessary resources, it alleviates the risk of suicide and the likelihood they will participate in criminal behaviors that are most associated with violent outcomes, like gun-related deaths and injuries.

Kids deserve educational environments where they feel safe and are more likely to develop into thriving adults, regardless of income or ZIP code.

Heritage continues to lead the way in policies that promote human flourishing, respect the Constitution, and hold the government accountable. The Heritage Foundation has provided real solutions for making our schools safer and dealing with gun violence while also continuing to stand boldly for and defending the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans. We will continue to work with Congress and other policymakers to implement those solutions.

If you are not already following Amy Swearer on Twitter, you can do so here. And if you wish to receive more Heritage news and content, you can subscribe on the bottom of this page.

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Heritage Second Amendment Expert Testifies to Congress Two Times Within Two Weeks - Heritage.org

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Link:
Notes on the Second Amendment | Editor's Inbox | stardem.com - The Star Democrat

After several high profile mass shootings, debates on gun control measures have renewed. The nation is divided as many are calling for adequate gun laws to be enacted. At the center of these debates is the Second Amendment. Some cite the amendment as the reason to expand gun rights while others view that the original intent of the language does not reflect modern day society.

How should the Second Amendment be interpreted as the number of mass shootings increases and overall gun violence continues?

What was the original intent for the Second Amendment? How do originalists interpret the Second Amendment? How does the term a well regulated militia apply to modern society?

How can the Second Amendment best be understood for states to enact gun control laws?

Guest: Dru Stevenson, Wayne Fischer Research Professor at South Texas College of Law, visiting scholar at the University of Houston Law Center

"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org or tweet @TPRSource.

*This interview was recorded on Wednesday, June 22.

Originally posted here:
How should the Second Amendment be interpreted as mass shootings continue to grow in our country? - Texas Public Radio

It has been a month since a massacre at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, took the lives of 19 children and two adults. The information that has come out about the Uvalde police response has only spurred more questions and a growing sense of righteous rage. The initial praise of the officers' response, even publicly shared by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, has turned to disbelief. Instead of heroism, disorganization and reluctance ruled the day. And as a result, innocent lives were lost.

Gun rights remain a key issue in American political discourse. Both sides debate what those rights should look like in the modern era. Conservatives firmly believe in the Second Amendment. The right to bear arms is a fundamental aspect of the American experience. Individuals are allowed to defend themselves, their families, and their property. It is a powerful tool against those who would seek to harm and a means of protection against tyrannical governments.

The Right can and should stand firm in protecting the Second Amendment. At the same time, conservatives collectively value law enforcement and its role. The Uvalde Police Department failed to protect members of the public. Its obvious inaction harmed the overall reputation of police nationwide. It also reinforces the need for personal defense.

If stopping a bad guy with a gun only required a good guy with a gun, the story of the Uvalde tragedy would look much different. According to reports, Uvalde officers not only had plenty of manpower and firepower but also ballistic shields. If needed, they could also get a Halligan bar, which could be used to get through locked doors. But they stood there in the hallway while 19 children and two adults met a terrifying and sudden end. And now, we know the classroom was unlocked.

It took more than an hour before Border Patrol killed the gunman. This week, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said the situation could have ended in minutes. McCraw also said, "The officers had body armor; the children had none. The officers had training; the subject had none. One hour, 14 minutes, and 8 seconds. Thats how long children waited, and the teachers waited, in Room 111 to be rescued."

Placing our entire sense of safety in the hands of governmental entities is not a wise idea. Just because police officers have sworn an oath doesn't mean they will uphold it at the crucial moment.

The gun control crowd is always eager to insist on more restrictions after deranged individuals attack and kill the innocent. But the horror in Uvalde and the coordinated ineptitude of the officers involved only highlights the need for personal protection. Private gun ownership is a good thing. There are millions of responsible gun owners. They should not be discounted when a lunatic goes on a rampage. Law enforcement is not always able to arrive in time. And when they do arrive, they're not always willing to act.

It appears the majority of conservatives have not looked kindly upon the Uvalde police officers who responded at Robb Elementary on May 24. There is no reason to give anyone involved a pass. Belonging to a police department should mean intense scrutiny, because lives are on the line. "Defend the police with no questions asked" is as harmful as "defund the police." Our communities need consistent, committed members of law enforcement. And when they do wrong, they should be held accountable.

Uvalde is a reminder that other "good guys with guns" won't always act. Officers sometimes fail to do their duty. Conservatives are proud supporters of law enforcement, but there is no reason to back the blue blindly. Power can be abused, and it can also be withheld when it is needed most. Uvalde shows the incorrect use of power can have deadly consequences. Gun control advocates say otherwise, but what happened in Uvalde only serves to reinforce the need for a strong Second Amendment.

Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.

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Uvalde police failure reinforces the need for the Second Amendment - Washington Examiner