Critical Supreme Court Case Today For Guns and Dogs

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Supreme Court Gun Ban Ruling
Sets Scary Stage For Dog Owners

by JOHN YATES
The American Sporting Dog Alliance
http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org

The Supreme Court will consider a case today that may decide the future of gun ownership in America. The heart of the decision is whether the right to keep and bear arms is an "individual right" or a "collective right."

"Collective rights" is an absurd concept on one hand, but a very dangerous one on the other. It means that we have no rights as individuals, but only as a member of a collective (such as the National Guard, which gun control advocates say is what "militia means in the Bill of Rights). Basic Soviet philosophy!

The concept of "collective rights" also is dangerous for dog owners, because it leads away from the concept of private property. Ownership becomes guardianship, if ownership lies with the collective rather than the individual.

Here are some excerpt from a CNN news article this morning:

"On Tuesday, The Supreme Court will decide whether Washington's sweeping ban on handgun ownership violates an individual's constitutional right to "keep and bear arms," setting the stage for a potentially monumental legal and social battle, just in time for the 2008 elections.

"The issue is one that has polarized judges and politicians for decades: Do the Second Amendment's 27 words bestow gun ownership as an individual right, or is it a collective one -- aimed at the civic responsibilities of state militias, and therefore subject, perhaps, to strict government regulation?

"What the Supreme Court says will really set the terms of the debate on gun control for years to come," said Orin Kerr, an expert on criminal procedure at George Washington Law School. "So everyone's waiting to find out what the justices will do."

"The Supreme Court has generally steered clear of settling the individual-versus-collective argument. It last examined the issue in 1939 without fully delving into the broader constitutional questions.

"Similar weapon-control laws could be in jeopardy, and jurisdictions such as the states of Maryland and Massachusetts and the cities of Chicago, Illinois, and San Francisco, California, filed briefs supporting the District of Columbia.

"Thirty-one states along with groups like the National Rifle Association support the gun owners.

"But both sides have privately expressed concern over how the justices will decide the issue, because the legal and political implications could be sweeping in scope.

"After a federal appeals court in March ruled the handgun ban to be unconstitutional, city leaders urged the high court to intervene, saying refusal to do so could prove dire."

The American Sporting Dog Alliance urges all gun owners, sportsmen and dog owners to keep a close eye on this court decision. We are a grassroots movement to protect the rights of sporting dog owners. We maintain strict independence and are supported only by the donations of our members. Please visit us at http://www.americansportingdogalliance.org .