I cannot say as though I was aware of this (not like that means anything), but Heller II is off the ground and headed towards a resolution:
The HELLER II case is focused on five elements:
1) Whether DC GUN REGISTRATION violates the Second Amendment — the right to keep and bear arms existed before any laws were written about it.
2) Whether the DC lower court should have applied STRICT SCRUTINY to determine the constitutionality of the DC GUN REGISTRATION law — does the DC registration scheme reduce the number of handguns in the hands of criminals and enhance public safety?
3) Whether the “ASSAULT WEAPONS” BAN violates the Second Amendment — should a firearm, using the same ammunition as an “approved” firearm, be arbitrarily banned because the gun looks different or is labeled an “assault rifle”. Why is one gun OK and another firearm of the same caliber not OK when the only difference is the delivery system ? The so-called assault rifles are not the preferred weapon of criminals.
4) Whether the “LARGE CAPACITY MAGAZINE” BAN violates the Second Amendment — DC currently limits gun magazines to 10 rounds. Lawmakers have said they want to limit gun owners’ potential to overpower police. Mr. Heller says, “I believe responsible citizens, who are armed, are allies of the police.” These arbitrary rules will have no effect on criminals just like the previous gun ban had no effect.
5) Whether the “ASSAULT WEAPONS” BAN and the “LARGE CAPACITY MAGAZINE” BAN are even authorized by DC Code §1-303.43 — it requires that all measures regulating firearms in the District be “usual and reasonable” as enacted in a 1906 federal law.
It is something of a travesty that the law-abiding residents of our capitol city have rights that are being flagrantly and capriciously violated by an overbearing and authoritarian government, and I sincerely hope Mr. Heller and his lawyers will successfully take that government to task for its behavior.
However, court cases are not funded by good wishes, unfortunate though that may be, and actual, money-style funding is always necessary… the good news is that every dollar will help, and the better news is that a body of Supreme Court decisions supporting and upholding our individual right to bear arms will be significantly more useful for us and our future generations than another box of ammunition in your closet, so the next time you hit up your favorite store on your way to turning money into noise, drop a box off your order, and send that money to someone fighting for your rights. We may not live in D.C., but the good Mr. Heller has done is being felt throughout the country.
(Courtesy of Oleg Volk.)
Help me Alan Gura, you’re my only hope!
@ Weer’d Beard:
The District of Columbia: You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious
Whether DC GUN REGISTRATION violates the Second Amendment — the right to keep and bear arms existed before any laws were written about it.
Well, considering the costs of registering a gun in DC are just shy of $400, which prices those in lower-income brackets right out of gun ownership, therefore infringing on their right to keep and bear arms which is guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the Constitution…Yes, yes it does violate the Second Amendment. Said amendment does not say “The right of those who can afford hundreds of dollars in fees to register their guns with the state shall not be infringed.”
@ Weer’d Beard: Nothing personal, but Leia was cuter
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@ GuardDuck: Hey, you have to give some people credit… my solution for D.C. would come from a slightly different science fiction movie, personally…
@ the pistolero: Poll taxes? Unconstitutional. Costly firearm registration and training? Considered acceptable.
How that makes sense, I will never understand.