David Hogg, the Florida student-turned-gun-prohibition-activist who rose to prominence in the aftermath of the tragic Marjory Stoneman Douglas mass shooting on Valentine’s Day 2018, ignited a social media firestorm this week with a Twitter rant declaring the “modern interpretation” of the Second Amendment is a “ridiculous fraud.”
He launched his anti-gun tirade by asserting, “You have no right to a gun. You are not a militia. When you’re talking about your second amendment rights you’re talking about a states (sic) right to have what is today the national guard. The modern interpretation of 2A is a ridiculous fraud pushed for decades by the gun lobby.”
You have no right to a gun. You are not a militia. When you’re talking about your second amendment rights you’re talking about a states right to have what is today the national guard. The modern interpretation of 2A is a ridiculous fraud pushed for decades by the gun lobby.
— David Hogg
(@davidhogg111) February 26, 2023
Moments later, he followed that claim by attacking the U.S. Supreme Court: “Also Bruen has to be one of the most illogical and stupid decisions ever put out by SCOTUS that 20 years ago if turned in as a paper at almost any law school would have got an F.”
In the five years since the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting brought Hogg to national prominence as an outspoken media darling and figurehead in the “March for Our Lives” student movement that was quickly-commandeered by the gun prohibition lobby, he has gradually faded from the spotlight. That ended last month when he showed up at Michigan State University (MSU) to speak in the wake of the triple-murder of students on campus by a deranged man who subsequently killed himself.
His Sunday Twitter tirade continued into Monday, when he was back insisting, “We need to stop using the NRAs talking points and the false interpretation of 2A they have been pushing for decades. Their version of 2A is younger than I am.”
We need to stop using the NRAs talking points and the false interpretation of 2A they have been pushing for decades. Their version of 2A is younger than I am.
— David Hogg
The National Rifle Association’s reaction was a lengthy rebuttal of Hogg’s recent claims about having spoken with “a lot of hist & law professors” about the Second Amendment and reading its history only to conclude, “I believe the second amendment has been intentionally misinterpreted. It was never meant as an individual right it was created to protect state militias like the national guard.”
Stepping in as the “adult in the room,” veteran journalist and author Emily Miller tweeted in reply, “This is incorrect. The Supreme Court ruled in 2008 Heller case that the Second Amendment of the Constitution guarantees the INDIVIDUAL right to possess (keep) a gun. SCOTUS ruled in Bruen in 2022 that individuals have a right to carry (bear) a gun.”
This is incorrect. The Supreme Court ruled in 2008 Heller case that the Second Amendment of the Constitution guarantees the INDIVIDUAL right to possess (keep) a gun.
SCOTUS ruled in Bruen in 2022 that individuals have a right to carry (bear) a gun.
— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) February 27, 2023
This was followed by a pointedly sarcastic observation from Amy Swearer at the Heritage Foundation, who quipped, “My professor said it’s true. And, conveniently, it supports my preconceptions about what should be true.”
Hogg’s disagreement with the Supreme Court’s wisdom may pale in comparison to what he might think about the Wednesday announcement that West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed into law the “Campus Self-Defense Act.” According to an NRA news release, Senate Bill 10 “allows law-abiding carry permit holders to carry on the campus of a state institution of higher education.”
“Current state law does not prohibit carrying of a defensive firearm on campus,” NRA noted, “but institution policy may lead to expulsion or termination of employment. Adults who are officially licensed to carry a firearm for self-defense should not be prevented from doing so just because they seek higher education.”
Hogg is now a senior at Harvard, majoring in history. He initially reappeared two weeks ago during a CBS News interview marking the anniversary of the Parkland high school massacre, which took 17 lives. Now he appears to be back “whole Hogg,” using social media to raise blood pressures on both sides of the gun rights debate, which is taking some remarkable turns as a result of last summer’s 6-3 high court decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. For the third time in recent memory, the Supreme Court has issued a ruling that strengthens the right to keep and bear arms, recognizing the Second Amendment protects, rather than grants, this individual right. Hogg obviously disagrees.
Thanks to Bruen, prominent gun rights organizations including the Second Amendment Foundation, National Shooting Sports Foundation and the NRA, have been challenging gun control laws in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, California, Oregon and elsewhere, forcing federal courts to work within the Bruen guidelines.
The gun prohibition movement continues to push for more restrictions despite the Bruen decision. In Washington state, lawmakers appear poised to act on a proposed ban on so-called “assault weapons” and another bill requiring training and a permit-to-purchase before anyone can buy a gun. Majority Democrats in Minnesota and Michigan are using the MSU shooting to press their gun control agenda.
Those efforts may bring even more legal challenges, resulting in what SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb has adopted as his organization’s slogan: “Winning Back Firearms Freedom, One Lawsuit at a Time.”
About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
from https://ift.tt/kS4ImeR
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment