Senate Republicans on Thursday introduced legislation to codify the Supreme Court’s landmark 2022 ruling protecting the Self-Defense Second Amendment, in which they noted that any gun control law must conform to the nation’s history stretching back to its founding.
The legislation, supported by all GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, would codify the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association High Court’s decision against Bruen.
The 6-3 decision, issued last June, was authored by Judge Clarence Thomas, who said New York’s gun license requirements, which require a person to show they must carry a firearm, violate the Second Amendment right to self-defense .
In the opinion, the court said any gun control law must have a historical tradition to comply with the Second Amendment.
By codifying the ruling, any future Supreme Court would struggle with amendments or reversals.
“We have a Bill of Rights and it’s not an a la carte menu. Every right as interpreted by the US Supreme Court matters,” said Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican.
The legislation also requires the government to pay attorneys’ fees if an individual successfully challenges Second Amendment violations in court.
“With this bill, we ensure that the rights upheld by the Supreme Court are part of the federal code – and prevent a future Supreme Court from overturning that decision. The Respect for the Second Amendment Act will serve as a reminder of the standing in these landmark Supreme Court cases and provide further protections to the Second Amendment,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina.
“We have to vote on this bill,” he added.
But with Democrats controlling the upper chamber, legislation is unlikely to go ahead.
The move comes after President Biden this week announced an executive order aimed at increasing background checks related to firearms sales.
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing this week to consider how lawmakers can maintain public safety following the Bruen Supreme Court decision that has resulted in scores of laws being struck down.
In February, a federal appeals court overturned a measure prohibiting people from possessing a firearm on a court order for domestic violence, such as stalking, molesting or threatening an intimate partner.
“I can’t reconcile this decision with the real danger women and police officers face from armed domestic violence, and I don’t think our nation’s founders want courts to ignore that danger when they review the constitution they wrote.” apply,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Durbin, a Democrat of Illinois, said Wednesday.
“The chaos caused by the Bruen decision is predictable,” he added.
Source : www.washingtontimes.com