I started to read the dissents. Then stopped. Maybe later. Why ruin a good mood by ingesting all that fucking stupidity. I’d have to shower after.

In other news, 5-4 was bit too close for comfort in my opinion. I was figuring on 6-3 or 7-2, honestly. Sure, this quiz was pass/fail but we were only one heart attack away, my friends. I hate to say it but that one reason is why I’ll hold my nose, get good and hammered, and pull the lever for John McCain. And I’d have to shower after that too.

It is enough to note, as we have observed, that the American people have considered the handgun to be the quintessential self-defense weapon.

That term is used on page 55. First, all weapons are dangerous. I mean, I don’t want to be on the business end of either a pointy stick or a 44 magnum. Unusual is quite odd too.

Additionally:

We also recognize another important limitation on the
right to keep and carry arms. Miller said, as we have
explained, that the sorts of weapons protected were those
“in common use at the time.” 307 U. S., at 179. We think
that limitation is fairly supported by the historical tradition
of prohibiting the carrying of “dangerous and unusual
weapons.” See 4 Blackstone 148–149 (1769); 3 B. Wilson,
Works of

What about laws that have been passed specifically to make certain weapons not in common use at the time? Think 1986?

Update: I should have read the next graph:

It may be objected that if weapons that are most useful
in military service—M-16 rifles and the like—may be
banned, then the Second Amendment right is completely
detached from the prefatory clause. But as we have said,
the conception of the militia at the time of the Second
Amendment’s ratification was the body of all citizens
capable of military service, who would bring the sorts of
lawful weapons that they possessed at home to militia
duty. It may well be true today that a militia, to be as
effective as militias in the 18th century, would require
sophisticated arms that are highly unusual in society at
large.

And:

But the fact that modern developments have limited
the degree of fit between the prefatory clause and the
protected right cannot change our interpretation of the
right.

Nice:

Some have made the argument, bordering on the frivolous, that only those arms in existence in the 18th century are protected by the Second Amendment. We do not interpret constitutional rights that way. Just as the First Amendment protects modern forms of communications,

The amendment means what it says, who knew?

From the Heller opinion:

The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.

Affirmed.

More as I get it.

Update: The Court has released the opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller (07-290), on whether the District’s firearms regulations – which bar the possession of handguns and require shotguns and rifles to be kept disassembled or under trigger lock – violate the Second Amendment. The ruling below, which struck down the provisions in question, is affirmed.

Justice Scalia wrote the opinion. Justice Breyer dissented, joined by Justices Stevens, Souter and Ginsburg. We will provide a link to the decision as soon as it is available.

Update 2: 5-4? Srsly?

So much for speculation that Ginsburg was on our side.

Update: 3 opinions. One for, two dissents.

Update: awaiting opinion. Details will matter.

Update: Opinion here.

Later kids. Off to read.

Update: Thanks to Mr. Levy and Mr. Gura. It’s a good day.

R. Neal on Heller:

In other words, we may finally know what “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State” means, and whether “the people” means you and me or us. (“Shall not be infringed” seems pretty clear.)

Actually, I think we’ll probably be spending the next several decades arguing over exactly what Shall not be infringed means.

My prediction:

Court says there is an individual right.

DC’s ban violates that right.

Some vague reference to reasonable restrictions without offering any guidance on those. Hence, we spend the next several decades arguing over exactly what Shall not be infringed means.

Brady’s claim victory. NRA claims victory.

Anti-gunners and editorial boards (but I repeat myself) yammer on about activist judges overturning 70 years of supreme court precedent, even though that precedent doesn’t exist.

Update: Oh yeah, and lawsuits filed in NYC and Chicago tomorrow.

A new (to me) gun blog: Politics, Guns and Beer.

Update: I guess all the pessimists are reading this early. Buck up, little campers.

Machine guns and grenades from the US flood Mexico. Trouble is, those are illegal here too. It’s a trend of the Mexican government to blame the US for all it’s gun issues even though it’s obvious the machine guns are not coming from here.

You know what would keep our guns out of Mexico, though? A fence.

So, Mayor of Atlanta attaches her name to some astro-turf generated by Mayors Against Guns as evidenced at the bottom of the page:

Shirley Franklin is mayor of Atlanta. Contributing to this column were: Tom Barrett, mayor of Milwaukee; Manuel A. Diaz, mayor of Miami; Gavin Newsom, mayor of San Francisco; Greg Nickels, mayor of Seattle; and Douglas H. Palmer, mayor of Trenton, N.J.

This bit of astroturf basically says OMG Heller will be the end of gun laws!

AJC blog links to it. Comments overwhelmingly tell the mayor her astroturf is wrong. Comments are shut down. Nice!

Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam is a member of this group as well. This group is clearly on the wrong side.

Kristen Rand of the Violence Policy Center lying.

I wonder if she’s googled up a study lately?

At about 10:00, her and Mr. Sugarmann might be busy as one of the few FFL holders in DC. Someone will have to do those firearms transfers.

Ralph Nader decides to point out that Barack Pinto Beans Obama talks white. Nader, who doesn’t really have a career these days save for the quadrennial 15 minutes of fame in which he complains we don’t pay attention to him, doesn’t really have a need to view this as a career-ending move.

Obama responds by saying: Ralph has nahh idea what he’s jivin’ about, you know das right! knowwhuti’msayin’?

No, I kid. They said they’re disappointed in Ralph. Then they reminded supporters that Barack, in fact, does like mayonnaise.

Homicides up 12.7% in gun free Chicago!

A 16 year-old can’t have a handgun in NJ.

Another mass shooting in a gun free zone.

And in gun free Japan, a man slaughters his family. With a hammer.

Seen at Bane’s:

Paul Erhardt, Erhardt & Associates: “Handgun competition shooters now outnumber shotgun competition shooters…competition shooters are the super-users…hunters may be very avid, but they’re not going to shoot a lot during the season…Todd Jarrett, in preparing for the Steel Challenge, will shoot 30,000 rounds of ammunition…to give you an idea of how many rounds USPSA shooters might shoot, based on their most recent classifier scores, the rough but conservative estimate is that in the last 60 days those 20000 classifier scores amount more than a million rounds downrange…16,000 members of USPSA spent approxmately $45 million just on that sport last year

Ninja sighting in New Jersey.

No Heller for you. Come back one day. Or in the Fall. We’ll get around to it.

This is like the third time I’ve anxiously watched SCOTUSBlog and, after a tense build up, nothing happened. It’s like dating.

Update: The Chief Justice has announced from the courtroom that the Court will issue all of its remaining opinions tomorrow at 10 a.m. Eastern

Statement here:

The NSSF has no intention of abandoning pistol shooters. Our very successful First Shots program is specifically designed and targeted to encourage pistol sports shooting. Much of the NSSF staff, including its new president, have been pistol shooting both recreationally and competitively for decades – and, in fact, some have worked in the handgun industry.

Good! Hats off to these guys.

So, Heller today maybe? They better hurry up because I’m running out puns.

Via several sources, it seems that Blackwater has questionably purchased NFA firearms. Seems that the local sheriff was listed as the buyer, Blackwater paid for them, and Blackwater keeps them at their facility. The weapons consist of 17 AKs and 17A ARs.

Ry notes that this transaction is likely illegal. Joe likens it to a straw purchase of title ii firearms.

I wonder why Blackwater would go through the trouble. I seem to recall recently a bill passed that exempted federal contractors from the NFA ban. Nope. Never mind. The bill is part of the ATF Reform act, which has not passed yet.

Next, assuming it is illegal, this is another negative from the NFA ban. After all, we can’t equip our contractors with appropriate weaponry until they’re out of country. They’d have to train with them first and could not, in country, under the NFA. So, most of their weapons stuff is OK out of country.

This in addition to the fact manufacturers won’t develop military rifles in country because there’s no market.

This is not the first time there have been issues with Blackwater and NFA laws. A while back, there was some press because they exported suppressors without dotting i’s and crossing t’s.

Update: BTW, why wouldn’t Blackwater just get an FFL and an SOT?

Chicago Alderman loophole passes. Good thing somebody important ran afoul of the law.

Gets ice cream. Nothing happens.

Here’s hoping it puts an end to this mythology.

So, why not just send guns?

Yeah, its an old story but, for reason, this one is popping up on the anti-gun blogs.

Heh.

Btw ‘Til Tuesday rocks.

I was harsh on open carry folks the other day. Guy With Guns has a detailed read on it and why people do it.

Personally I think that guns, like Kos Kids in the general election, shouldn’t be seen.

I agree. This is the first time I’ve heard of someone actually being arrested for lying on their form 4473. Not saying it never happens. Just I don’t recall seeing it in the news.

In a city that enacted tough gun laws, violence increases?

Phoning it in. I wanted to see if could actually blog by talking into my telephone using the handy new Jott software program, Jott.com. listen

Powered by Jott

Update: This part is typed. But how cool is that? I called a toll free number on my cell phone and spoke a post. Neat. Might have to try harder words.

Update 2: Now, I can blog from anywhere.

I just need to figure out how to do the linky.