“The Gun Lobby’s interpretation of the Second Amendment is one of the greatest pieces of fraud – I repeat the word fraud – on the American people by special interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime. The real purpose of the Second Amendment was to ensure that state armies – the militia – would be maintained for the defense of the state. The very language of the Second Amendment refutes any argument that it was intended to guarantee every citizen an unfettered right to any kind of weapon he or she desires.”
— The late Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger
July 26, 2024
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4 Responses
Matt, David and Joe- I agree with your comments; IMO, “shall not be infringed” is clear to the point where there isn’t a legitimate argument against it
Burger was an activist judge, continuing the legacy of Earl Warren- the judge who successfully covered up the murder of JFK by the CIA in his “investigation” (The Warren Commission Report).
Burger’s statement on gun control reveals his willful ignorance of our Constitution – the key phrase of the 2 A- “shall not be infringed,” settles the issue as it can’t be any clearer. And, now as then, the anti-gun people simply do not understand (willfully?) the Framers;’ concept of what a militia actually is..
And yet consistent case law decisions and plenty of other legal scholars of similar or higher caliber utterly refute Justice Burger’s opinion. If we followed every word from a Chief Justice, the Dred Scott decision would still be considered precedent (in this case, Justice Roger Taney).
The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
I would have to point out that many other Justices don’t share that opinion. They believe the right to bare arms was given in order to have some protection against a tyrannical government.