E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
The National Rifle Association says today it's opposing Elena Kagan's nomination for the Supreme Court and will score her vote, which could further discourage Republicans from voting for her.
"This vote matters and will be a part of future candidate evaluations," the NRA says.
Excerpts from an NRA statement follow:
In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, she refused to declare support for the Second Amendment, saying only that the matter was "settled law."
This was eerily similar to the scripted testimony of Justice Sonia Sotomayor last year, prior to her confirmation to the Court. When pressed on the Second Amendment then, Sotomayor also referred to the issue as "settled law."
But in the recently decided case of McDonald v. City of Chicago, Sotomayor ignored the "settled law" of the Heller decision and signed a dissenting opinion that declared, "I can find nothing in the Second Amendment's text, history, or underlying rationale that could warrant characterizing it as 'fundamental' insofar as it seeks to protect the keeping and bearing of arms for private self-defense purposes."
It has become obvious that "settled law" is the scripted code of an anti-gun nominee's confirmation effort. The NRA is not fooled. No member of the U.S. Senate should be either.
With no judicial record, only Kagan's political career can be reviewed. And this provides no reason to trust her with Americans' firearms freedom. Throughout her career, she has repeatedly demonstrated a clear hostility to the fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms under the U.S. Constitution.
As a clerk for Justice Thurgood Marshall, Kagan said she was "not sympathetic" to a challenge to Washington, DC's ban on firearms. As a domestic policy adviser in the Clinton White House, a colleague described her as "immersed" in Clinton's aggressive assaults on the Second Amendment. She was involved in Clinton's scheme to ban more than 50 types of commonly-owned semiautomatic firearms - an effort described as "…taking the law and bending it as far as we can to capture a whole new class of guns."
As U.S. Solicitor General, Kagan chose not to file a brief last year in the landmark McDonald case, thus taking the position that incorporating the Second Amendment and applying it to the states was of no interest to the Obama Administration or the federal government.
These are not the positions of a person who supports the Second Amendment and, in fact, represent a clear and present danger to the right to keep and bear arms.
Leave a Comment:
The NRA opposes a left-leaning SCOTUS nominee?
Shocking.
I don't hate a lot of things, but I HATE the NRA. Why does it have as much power as it does? Where are our priorities as a country?
It's the same thing with Republican nominees and abortion rights. Whether they are for or against it has no bearing on the fact that it is 'settled law'.
Get over it.
Which lock-stepping Republican't was going to vote for her anyway?
Haven't you heard? Just say NO has taken on a whole new meaning....
In other, more shocking news, most Americans live in the U.S.A.
Whether it's the NRA, Tea Party, or Rush Limbaugh, Republicans are having a hard time demonstrating they're able to think for themselves and cast a vote on behalf of their constituents instead of their pocketbooks.
Kagan does not belong in the Supreme Court. This is just one of the many reasons that she does not belong.
Ursula, not unlike the Demo's and labor unions, N.O.W., Gays, or Soros.
I'm not a Republican, but I fully support the Supreme Court's decision to reassert to millions of Americans, that their fundamental RIGHT to bear arms in a FREE society will be protected against people just like Justice (termed used without meaning for me) Sonja Soto Mayor and the next clueless individual on the Senate hot seat. These two, not so subtle Constitutional Scholars (term used loosely), seem to have their bias shirt tails showing. They scare the living hell out of me. To them, the Constitution needs to be interpreted differently today than 100 or two hundred years ago, according to the newest nominee. If the Constitution is "ambiguous," TO HER, then she gets to ratchet in her biases. That scares me.
There are many Constitutional Law Experts in this country and we end up with these two brain dead goofs.......GOD HELP US.
Where's Waldo - keep looking for him. You're obviously clueless if you honestly believe that almost every single Supreme Court justice - especially your revered Roberts - isn't biased. Ideally the Supreme Court is supposed to be non-political, but if it ever was, it is not the case anymore.
One more reason why Supreme Court justices should also have term limits. I don't believe there are ever nine people out of the millions in the USA that have so much greater insight and intellect that they should serve till death. Our forefathers never saw that people would live to be 90+ years old when they wrote the Constitution otherwise it would have been written much differently.
I'm a hard core democrat but I must admit......I will shoot you first before I hand over my weapons. What we need to do as a society is to put real meaning into punishment for those who use weapons for ill purposes. What we have in this country now, in every state, are motels full of inmates who have used weapons and killed and thier punishment is: Carpeting on the floor in their cell, color tv with satellite, the latest dvd's, stereos to listen to their favorites, and let's not forget the library full of college material where they can earn their law degree and then sue the state.....which basically is you and I the tax payer, because they have been treated so poorly in the joint. God help our country....we are so out of focus.
Sorry Ursula, but I'm afraid you've fallen victim to the manipulation of others as well. Whether that be the Democratic party, the "main stream media", or some other political or social medium trying to manipulate the "thoughts" of the American citizen. For as much as Republicans are as you say they are, the Democrats are equally the same. Can you honestly tell me that the majority of State and Federal employees and Union workers nationwide, are conservative or registered with the Republican Party? You know as well as I that you can't, if you're being truthful with yourself. And if there was ever a clear-cut sign of people not being able to think for themselves, then exactly how do Unions work?
Now I could go on all day about the differences between the Left and the Right, and the stories we're told to believe, but in the end, it falls upon the voter, to make an informed decision at the ballot box. Informed being the key word. Much too my dismay, the American people are giving too much control of their lives to the local, State, and Federal government, because their lives are so busy, or they hate politics, or their vote doesn't matter because the outcomes been rigged. Well, you get what you give! If you have more knowledge of who's on American Idol, Dancing With The Stars, or Jersey Shore, than you do of your local, State or Federal representatives, then you don't have anyone to blame but yourself, when some foreign indignant insults your country and your lifestyle.
The NRA's reason for opposing Kagan is clearly stated in the article, but if you're willing to stretch yourself a bit and go beyond what you currently know or believe, I suggest you do your own research and make your own decision based upon facts, rather than hype. Put yourself in your adversary's shoes and answer the tough questions, dispassionately, and objectively. Back it up with reason, logic, and common sense. Not your feelings or ideology.
If you truly look at your opponents reasoning, not just for this particular topic, you'll see that the need for these organizations exist because objectivity, reason, and logic, have been replaced with the "Perception Is Reality" mantra, and it's killing this country. Someday, I would like to go to the polls and vote for the candidate whom I think would be best for this country, rather than for those who's clan I'm associated with.
Until that time, I believe the 2nd Amendment will still be up for debate in future hearings. After all, after 218 years after it was first adopted, it's still making headlines today.
Live passionately, guided by logic, tempered with compassion!
SLIM TD - Every democrat i see makes me dislike them more and more with their "better plans" and "changes", but you would definitely be the first one to start steering me in the other direction. if more DEMS were like you, i would either mistake them for republicans, or become a democrat myself!!! LMAO. I especially like that you support the second amendment as much as you show. good post, im impressed.
The NRA is opposed to Ms. Kagan. Sounds like a good reason to vote for her! Guns kill people, which is the reason the military has so many. Limiting the purchase of guns, especially handguns, can save lives.
But there's the goofy thing- There is no bill pending that removes existing gun rights, is there??
IF Kagan was for "plus" these idiots would pettition for 'minus'.
Gosh, Wayne, I always thought people killed people. People like you are why we need the 2nd amendment.
So do the many cars, knives, trains, and planes in the US Wayne. Do you also want to do away with them?
"Gosh, Wayne, I always thought people killed people."
Put down the NRA magazine propaganda, and think for a second Skiddy. People WITH guns kill people. Your brain has been rotting; time to clean it out.
People like you are why we have public schools, though in fairness to you, a person can lead a horse to water, but can't me 'em THINK.
Do you accuse Cars of killing people when a drunk driver is behind the wheel? When you cut yourself shaving, do you blame the razor? When you stub your toe, do you blame the wall?
Your position on guns formed by bias or emotion, not facts. The laws of this land need to be drafted/enforced by facts, not emotions or biases.
WAYNE you must be one of those city slickers that don't know their right from their left to come out and make a comment like that=== you need to be moved to Afghanistan and live there without any guns and see how you like it====for that is what it would be like here eventually if no one were allowed to have any guns(I'm talking about law abiding people) and criminals would have them any how if they were outlawed===use your head besides a hat rack.
Ellie,
The people in Afghanistan who don't have guns, have RPGs. Everybody is packing over there and you see what it's like.
The "don't blame the tool" argument is clever but misses the point. We don't blame the pencil because when it's misused the result is a bad grammar or the wrong answer. A misused gun results in death. Do you still think they are the same? A car is probably your best comparison, but people recognize the danger of cars and the auto industry (by choice or regulation) has made significant advances in safety. This includes shoulder belts, air bags, crumple zones, pillar reinforcement and children's safety seats. Is there a more dangerous product available with a worse track record of safety advances than guns? I doubt it.
The comment about "guns killing people.....people killing people....people killing people with guns.....people killing people with knives, baseball bats, dirty dental tools or whatever, has certainly been beaten to death (pun). The fact of the matter is, that guns were introduced to this country and many others as soon as they were perfected, marketed and mass produced. They are here to stay whether the Supreme Court of the United States says they can stay or not boys and girls. Because???...........the BAD GUYS will always have them whether Bill "the fornicator" Clinton says we can't, Barack Obama says we can't , Sonia Sotomayor or Elena Kagan says we can't. That is how far removed from reality these dimwits are. These ARE the people who WOULD TAKE our fundamental rights to self protection away from honest law abiding people and give the power of the gun to the CRIMINAL. Now listen real carefully, any of you out there who would weaken OUR Second Amendment Rights: "Guns will never be removed from the hands of the Criminal Element in this country!" It's as simple as that, and as profound as that, and some azz hole on the Supreme Court will never change that fact with any biased vote they put forth. The only people they will ever hurt with votes against a strong Second Amendment will be the Honest Citizens of this country.
HERE! HERE! Waldo, exactly the point.
Sean, By the way, self defense is a very redeeming value.
This is how ill-informed conservatives are, people:
Now for the facts: President Obama actually INCREASED gun rights in this country when he signed the law that included a provision for gun owners to open-carry in federal parks. Yet these NRA nuts who only read the propaganda don't realize they have MORE gun rights now than they did under Bush.
But "Obama says we can't."
Dimwits? Yes. But it's not the liberals in this case.
Wayne: post#6. I was going to write a long story about you but Ellie already said it, so I will keep it short.
You (Wayne) have your head in the sand. The Military has lots of guns to use in self defense of America, which includes you, which allows you to write dumb things like your post #6.
Also, any NRA member that carries a gun with a PTC will be used only in self defense of him/her self and family or any one else that needs help. So button your lip.
That means I can expect another fifty requests for a donation in my mailbox and email inbox. Any excuse for a fundraiser.
Wow, guns kill people. I've been around guns for as long as I can remember, I'm now 41 and I sure don't remember killing anyone with a gun. And just to be a smart ass Pencils Mis-Spell words.
Everyone needs to remember one fact.
If they pass a bill to ban guns, the ONLY ones they are hurting are the law abiding citizens that follow the gun laws. Because, the law abiding citizens are the ones who are actually using them the way the CONSTITUTION says it. For self defense people, thats the point. Whether if we ban them, or not, the criminals dont give a $h1t. they will get them either way.
All the ban is gonna do is FORCE the law abiding citizen to become criminals themselves out of FEAR for their lives. Because i can tell you, I will find a way to get a gun no matter what if it means the difference of life or death of my wife and kids when some criminal breaks in wanting to harm them. Because the criminal 99% of the time will have one to use against you. and everyone knows you dont bring a knife to a gun fight.
If all you gun haters start actually thinking for yourselves...maybe you will realize that its your lifes that are in danger too, then you might change your tune a little.
No person on the Supreme Court or a candidate for the Court should give their personal opinion on any issue. The problem with those on the extreme right is that their world is black and white, right or wrong, my way or the highway. They don't realize that each Justice will judge each case as presented to them. They also don't realize that the Constitution doesn't specifically state one has the right to bear arms. If one is part of a militia they may but otherwise maybe. Subsequent decisions by the Supreme Court have ruled that we do have the right to bear arms. Not unfettered or allowed whatever and how much we want but we can have firearms. That makes it settled law. If a Justice is going to deal with settled law than they will have no problem with allowing people to own and use firearms. I don't see Kagen opposing firearms but opposing abuse of firearms, too many firearms, private ownership of military level firearms. Common sense!
There is a second part to the amendment people like you commonly leave out. "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
ummmmmmmm.........yes, it does.
Okay here is a little 5th grade history for you. In our fore fathers time a well regulated militia was comprised of ordinary citizens; meaning this amendment was written for ALL American citizens.
Your pomposity is only succeeded by your lack of knowledge of the facts. Constitutional Law experts (of which you may pretend to be) have given years of thought and consideration to this particular sentence and its meaning. The recent Supreme Court ruling put this idea of two differing meanings to this particular wording to rest. It says we can have our guns and Socialist like you and Mayor Daley of Chicago can't take them away from us! I would venture a guess and say that you would never find a person who supports the Second Amendment ever denigrating any of the other Amendments. I don't particularly like the 16th but you'll never hear me whine about it. The importance of the Second Amendment, to its authors and its sponsors, must have been pretty important for it to be considered just after YOUR freedom of speech or it wouldn't have been there at all. Freedoms are only protected by those willing to fight to protect them....ALL.
The National Rifle Association is great at expanding money to the GOP under the guise of the right to bear arms. Essentially it give the nut jobs on the right an excuse to defend the right to kill lile the Oath keeper, for example. In my city there is a high level of gang violence and Mayor Daley is not happy about it as well as the victims of useless killings. Just think about it; not only does this ruling misinterpret what the Second Amendment's intent really means as I see it. The crazy Oath-keepers, deranged citizens, gangs, road rage drivers all will jump to this right to defend to kill. Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin et al plus FOX NOISE all have the business of promoting that Big Lie.
President Obama is not the most anti-gun president in American history; and is not trying to take way guns from hunters; just those crazed gun toting and redneck idiots who think toting a gun is carte blanc to kill.
Didn't you know there is legislation in the House to ban handguns? There is also a bill that would make ammunition so expensive, no one could afford it.
At least my Republican neighbor tells me so at least twice a week.
I've taken him to government websites that list all pending legislation, and show him that there are no bills or any other kind of legislation that would ban firearms. As far as making ammunition expensive, the scare tactics from manufacuters and distributors have taken care of that.
Beverly in Chicago
What kills me about the NRA is that they know this is as she said settled law. the high court is not about changing laws there about making sure the laws are interpreted correctly.
president Obama is not going to take there guns away, and the NRA knows this, but In the big city's like Chicago, he is in lock step with the mayors who have to deal with this every day. they want to limit the numbers of guns as well as what to do about assault weapons.
You know I'm from Chicago and in resent weeks i have changed my opinion on the gun ban in Chicago. as long as the criminals have then, law abiding citizens need to opportunity to protect them selves. what mayor Daley does not realize is that as long as the criminals know average citizens don't have guns they know they can do what ever they want. yes keep getting the guns away from the criminals but don't hold your citizens hostage. as i said Monday, when i was a kid, my dad, grandfather, neighbors had there guns and no one dare try to come in on you at night. unlike the thug that tried to break in that Korean war vets house, he shot and killed that guy with a unregistered gun. Just think Beverly if that man was not able to protect his wife, grandson. the story would have been, War vet, wife and grandson killed by intruder.
I have watched the majority of the confirmation sessions. No surprises here. Ms. Kagan is holding her own and she even made Sessions mad enough that for a period he lost words. I think she will be the next Supreme Court Justice.
all you have to do to make Sessions angry is take his "binky" away!
'Settled law'? And it's bad to say that....WHY??
I have been an independent voter for over 30 years and vote Republican 99% of the time except in the last election. I don't believe I will ever vote Republican again. I am apalled by the lack of common sense by the GOP and the complete inability of their followers to read, analyze and think for themselves. The hatred and stupidity spewed by the GOP leaders and Ms. Palin as well are beyond the pale. What is going on?
Byrd was a KKK member and filibustered the civil rights act. Now the democrats are bowing down to him. Which side has mixed up allegiences?
The operative word is "was", people can and do change, if they want to.
NRA opposes Kagan
So?
Seriously, why is there even a confirmation process going on? Everyone knows that Kagan is going to the SCOTUS, so stop wasting time and money, and just confirm her.
This is like holding a debate on whether or not to bring an umbrella outside, when it is already raining. Kinda pointless having the debate huh?
Outstanding the NRA is finely doing what should have been done when No zipper Bill was running things.
By the way it looks like the Brady bunch is toast along with the million mom gang,Seem no ones buying in to their B.S any more.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
It's checks and balances for the people since there is a militia. At the time you would not want a militia controlling the people aka Martial Law Permanently. When the constitution was written, revolutionary war occurred with guns and soldiers which is nothing close to the degree of destructive capability the military has today existed then. I would say the checks and balances are very skewed at this point. But I still want my guns!
guns kill people? I have never seen a gun kill anyone, it is an inanimate object and has no mind of its own, people kill people. HOORAY FOR THE NRA
Owned a gun most of my life. I never shot a person or had a desire to shoot a person. So, when people are making their cases for gun control, remember there are all kinds of gun-owners. You cannot generalize about the purpose of owning a gun.
Well then, I guess I HAVE to support her now. There is no better reason than those wackos don't like her.
Geez what a surprise the gun cowards of the NRA oppose Elena Kagan. The NRA might not be fooled by Kagan's stance on guns and the 2nd Amendment, but the NRA is full of cowardly fools not brace enough to walk the streets without their gun pacifier. All the NRA wants to do is ensure that criminals have too easy access to guns, the NRA is criminal's BFF.
Funny how the racist rightwingers were so quick to show their racist tendencies trashing our first black supreme court justice Thurgood Marshall. They seem to have realized that they sounded like racists trashing Thurgood Marshall and have been funny to watch backpedaling from their obvious racist complaints.
The Neo-Nazi rightwing militias who hate our federal government are not what our Founding Fathers meant by well regulated militia. These rightwing traitor gun nuts should be put behind bars where they belong and left to rot!
NRA is Criminal's Best Friend Forever!
NRA fights for the laws that allow you to protect yourself and family. Criminals break laws. Civil people do not. When owning a gun is against the law only criminals will have weapons. Have you heard of shanks and zip guns in prison? Don't be a fool, protect yourself.
So what!
There is absolutely no justification in the Second Amendment for uncontrolled proliferation of all sorts of weapons. The very debate about its meaning defines the fact that interpretation of the Constitution is a necessary function of the Supremem Court. As for striking down legislation, either Federal or otherwise, that in almost any way regulates gun ownership - particularly such socially-useless weapons as assault rifles and 50-caliber sniper rifles - the Court reflects the biases of its different members. Today that bias is against gun ownership restriction. Someday, that may change. It absolutely should.
OK, the constitution and the right-wing Supreme Court allow any guns. Now, let's put a big fat tax on gun ownership and erase the deficit. Heck, if we taxed guns and religious organizations, we could eliminate the income tax for many people!
Ah yes, The NRA, our own home grown terrorist organization.
I love to watch the Progressive babble........ shows who elected these idiots...
The NRA would support the devil if he was a republican.
"if", Jody? See: Steve King, IA 5th.
Jody and others, Your assumption that the NRA supports only Republicans shows your ignorance on the topic. For instance the other day the NRA endorsed the Demo running for gov. in Ohio. They have endorsed a number of Demos running for congress.
Try to be up on a subject when you comment on it.
Paul,
What, no sense of humor?
I stand by my comment. I know the NRA endorses democrats occasionally but I also know the NRA scares people into believing democrats want to take their guns. Democrats own guns, too, but to listen to the NRA, you would never know it.