by Paul Dame
Congratulations to our neighbors from New York!
This week the Supreme Court set a major and exciting precedent by striking down over 100 years of New York law when they found that New York’s pattern of restricting gun rights to its innocent and law-abiding citizens was unconstitutional.
One of my favorite quotes was from Justice Clarence Thomas:
“We know of no other constitutional right that an individual may exercise only after demonstrating to government officers some special need. That is not how the First Amendment works when it comes to unpopular speech or the free exercise of religion. It is not how the Sixth Amendment works when it comes to a defendant’s right to confront the witnesses against him. And it is not how the Second Amendment works when it comes to public carry for self-defense.”
The court has now echoed what many gun rights enthusiasts have been saying for decades – why is the Second Amendment so much more readily restricted than all of our other rights?
While this is an important win for gun rights everywhere, and could open the door to even more equal access to gun rights across states lines, there is still much more work to do before New York can enjoy the rights that we have here in Vermont with Constitutional Carry.
So Republicans must keep up the fight. That’s why I am spending almost all day tomorrow working with several of our House and Senate candidates on a full-day Training Boot camp – so that we can put more defenders of the Second Amendment and Article 16 into the statehouse.
The author is an Essex Junction resident and chair of the Vermont Republican Party.