From The Editor
Brett Kavanaugh, A Win for Gun Owners and the Rule of Law
column By: Steve Garbe | December, 18
With the recent appointment to the Supreme Court of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, gun owners can take comfort in the fact that the Court now seems to be comprised of a majority of conservative justices who view the Second Amendment as a vital and necessary part of our Constitution.
Subtracting all the political theater and self-serving dramas that many of our elected politicians engaged in, we are left with a new Supreme Court justice who appears to have a common-sense grasp of the Second Amendment. This is great news to those of us who depend on the Second Amendment to protect our rights to own a firearm. Justice Kennedy, who Brett Kavanaugh will be replacing, was somewhat of a “swing vote” when it came to conservative issues, gun control being one of them. Not knowing how Kennedy would stand on cases involving gun rights always made it a bit dodgy to bring cases before the Court, although Kennedy did join the majority of the Court in D.C. v. Heller, stating that there is a Constitutional right for the individual to keep and bear arms. He also voted in favor of the Second Amendment in the 2010 Supreme Court ruling (McDonald v. Chicago) on that same right. It would seem, given Kavanaugh’s history while sitting on the D.C. Court of Appeals, that we now have an additional supporter of the Second Amendment on the Supreme Court. That is a very good thing.
However, that is not the most positive development. What faced the most serious challenge in the media-driven and hypocrisy-ridden Senate confirmation hearing was the centuries-old premise of presumption of innocence. The concept of one being “innocent until proven guilty” is a cornerstone of the rule of law, dating back to before English common law. Regardless of how you feel about Brett Kavanaugh, the rule of law requires that one is innocent until proven guilty, and Kavanaugh’s accusers, well meaning though they may (or may not) have been, simply could not back up their claims. Put yourself in his shoes for a moment to appreciate how important presumed innocence is, not only to the individual but for the country as a whole.
Inconvenient as it may be to many people on the Left who would prefer that the Second Amendment didn’t exist, judges who interpret our Constitution correctly and without personal prejudice are what the country needs to stay on course. I think that we will see that Judge Kavanaugh will prove to be a valuable asset to the Supreme Court, regardless of the contrived charges designed to unfairly discredit him.
These are “interesting times” and we are watching important historical events unfold before our eyes. Given the heightened passions that surround many of our latest societal controversies, it is extremely important that we use a reliable “compass” to correctly navigate them as a nation. The accepted rule of law, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution collectively make up that compass and we must never compromise or disregard them. – Gut Ziel