U.S.A. -(Ammoland.com)- President Donald Trump is the most vocal supporter of the Second Amendment to the Constitution that has ever inhabited the White House.
Before 1934, there were few restrictions on firearm purchases and virtually none at the federal level. It is not surprising that before 1934, presidents said little about the Second Amendment.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was blatantly anti-Second Amendment. He showed it with his court picks and the attempt to register and license all handguns in the United States. While the attempt failed, the first serious federal gun law, the National Firearms Act, was passed as a compromise.
Only President Trump has given serious support to the Second Amendment in the 85 years since. Most have tended to be neutral; Democrats became eager to impose more infringements in the 1960’s when the entire party was radicalized. President Reagan was supportive, but not as much as President Trump.
What has President Trump done to restore the Second Amendment?
The most obvious, long lasting and consequential actions are President Trump’s pick of originalist and textualist Supreme Court justices, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
These two justices mean the infringements of Second Amendment rights winked at by the Supreme Court in the last three years, will probably be stopped and rolled back. The Supreme Court will probably validate the right to bear arms outside the home, not just to be able to carry a pistol from the kitchen to the bedroom. It is likely the Supreme Court will hold the Second Amendment protects ammunition sales and the private sale of firearms as well as to mere possession.
Without originalist and textualist justices on the Supreme Court, the circuit courts would be allowed to run roughshod over Second Amendment rights, just as they did for 80 years after the Miller decision. During that period, the Supreme Court simply refused to hear any cases involving the Second Amendment. That will not happen.
We can thank President Donald Trump. President Trump had to drag the Republican party over the finish line, but he was able to do so.
There are other consequential victories from the Trump administration. They are worthwhile.
The Department of Justice reached a settlement with Defense Distributed and the Second Amendment Foundation on removing the ITAR restrictions that had been put in place by the Obama administration. The ITAR restrictions criminalized the transfer of computer code on how to make guns, at least over the Internet. The ITAR restrictions imperiled both the First and Second Amendments. A lawsuit against the settlement is in progress. It will fail.
The Corps of Engineers (COE) agreed to settle the two cases challenging the Constitutionality of bans on the exercise of the Second Amendment on lands administered by the COE. Rulemaking on those agreements is still in progress. Those should support Second Amendment rights on COE managed property.
Importantly, President Donald Trump defends the concept of armed self-defense. As a person who actively held a difficult to obtain concealed carry permit in New York City, he views reality with the gaze of an armed man.
From school shootings, where he has championed the use of armed teachers to defend their charges, to the current outrage of the Pittsburgh synagogue mass murder by a Trump hating anti-Semite, he has refused to bow to those who want a disarmed population. The Left is continually outraged with President Trump’s contention that more armed citizens would result in fewer mass murder victims.
We have not seen progress on national reciprocity or the hearing protection act. President Trump has lacked the support of his party for the first year and a half of his Presidency. That has been changing. President Trump has been winning over adversaries among the Republicans, just as he has been winning on many national issues.
It has become trite to call the upcoming election the most important election ever. The American system of government has proven amazingly durable. However, over the last 50 years, we have seen a steady erosion of the power and freedoms of the citizenry.
President Trump’s election has set the stage for stopping the juggernaut of Progressivism, Globalism, and the massive regulatory state that continually infringes on all our rights as free people.
The loss of the House or the Senate will stop his reforms. Nothing will be accomplished except for endless investigations and calls for impeachment. Many Democrats are calling for the impeachment of Justice Kavanaugh and packing the Supreme Court with more Progressive justices when they take the Presidency, perhaps in 2020.
I do not think that will happen. It all depends on President Trump’s supporters going to the polls and retaining Republican party control over the House of Representatives and the Senate.
President Trump, in two years, has been able to convince, cajole, and construct a Republican party in his image. Control of the House and the Senate is necessary to enact his much-needed reforms. All indication are the races will be settled by which party’s voters decide to go to the polls.
President Trump has the numbers if his supporters are willing to take the time to vote.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
What do you think now Dean?
That’s complete B.S.!!! Then why is Trump in the process of signing into law a nationwide “Red Flag”law if he was cared about the 2nd amendment!!! That clearly violates our constitution!!! SMFH
We must WORK from within the electoral system. Neither party has a goal other than accumulation of power for themselves. Democrats use and abuse minorities and other at-risk populations in their quest for power. Likewise, Republicans make empty promises to evangelicals, Second Amendment supporters and other traditionally conservative groups to acquire power for themselves and their Chamber of Commerce masters. Both parties kowtow to millionaires and billionaires because just like John Dillinger and other criminals of the early 20th Century knew, “That’s where the money is.” It’s NOT enough for us to whine, moan and complain on websites like this… Read more »
HR 38 HAS BEEN IN THE SENATE FOR MONTHS, IT MAY AS WELL BE DEAD! BECAUSE NONE OF THE SENATORS HAVE THE BALLS TO BRING IT UP FOR A VOTE BECAUSE OF THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS. TRUMP ALREADY SAID IF IT GOT TO HIS DESK HE WOULD SIGN IT AS SOON AS IT DID. WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN IS AFTER THE ELECTION THE POWER IN THE SENATE IS GOING TO SHIFT TO THE DEMOCRATS( hope it does’t happen) But if it does the Republicans will then blame it on the Democrats not passing it. WHEN IN FACT IF THEY CARED… Read more »
I voted for Donald Trump and I’m glad I did but one statement in one of his debates before being elected was ” I will follow the Constitution and it’s Amendments to the letter”. I believed him when he said this and I am a strong believer in the 2nd Amendment and what it means to the Citizens of the United States. I believe that every Citizen has the right to keep and bear arms anywhere excet for Court rooms, Police Stations and other Government Facilities if they so choose. The 2ns Amendment should be our Gun permit. The 2nd… Read more »
What happened to HR38???????
Completely disagree. He has been worse on the 2nd amendment than Obama. Obama didn’t try to ban bump stocks, cracking the door open for a later administration to ban all semi-automatics. Read the regulation trump directed ATF to write. It is aggregious. Obama didn’t sign the disgusting “Fix NICS” into law which does nothing other than prevent or make it harder for law abiding citizens to own guns LEGISLATIVELY. And wasnt it Trump who made a comment along the lines of “Take the guns now, due process later” back in Feb. of 2018? What would our reaction have been had… Read more »
Get out and vote republican if you want to have a chance at saving your gun rights. Notice how all gun control initiatives come from democrats?
Hay captain jack. you forgot New York. We are trying to rid ourselves of one named CUOMO. Gun owners in NY MUST get out and VOTE .We have the numbers to put him OUT of office and save , what is left of our rights(gun) in NY.
Why has national reciprocity not pass the Senate yet. Republican control both houses of Congress, executive branch and some would say the Supreme Court, so what is the problem, why hasn’t it passed and been signed? It has been almost two damn years!