House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) Supreme Court Decision a Victory for American People, Constitution

A Jamaican friend of mine, after reading about a shooting in our town, asked me why we allowed so many guns in our country. i told him we'd rather shoot each other occasionally than have the government be the only ones to have guns, he accepted the explanation without question.

WASHINGTON (DC) House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) released the following statement following the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments.

“The Supreme Court’s decision today reinforces the power and vitality of our Constitution as a bulwark against the encroachment by government on our fundamental rights, including the right to keep and bear arms. As Americans, the protection of our Constitutional rights shouldn’t depend on which state or which city we reside in. Today’s decision reflects what the Supreme Court and the legal system is supposed to be all about: strictly interpreting the words of the Constitution, not bending them or deviating them for ideological or political ends.

“I am disappointed that President Obama’s first appointment to the Supreme Court, Justice Sotomayor, joined the dissent in trampling this important right today, after previously claiming to understand the right the court upheld in the Heller case. I hope that as the Senate reviews the nomination of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, Senators will be sure to discern exactly where she stands on the plain words of the Constitution.”

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The Supreme Court ruled today in a 5-to-4 decision that the Second Amendment’s guarantee of an individual right to bear arms applies to state and local gun control laws,

FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPTS IN PDF FORMAT:

• 6/28/10 - Decision McDonald v. Chicago
• SCOTUS Transcript of Oral Arguments in McDonald v. Chicago

• Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., writing for the majority, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy and Clarence Thomas.
• in dissented: Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor.

References: Eric Cantor || Republican Whip

McDonald v. Chicago Decision highlights the importance of Supreme Court nominations FULL TEXT

The Supreme Court ruled today in a 5-to-4 decision that the Second Amendment’s guarantee of an individual right to bear arms applies to state and local gun control laws,

FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPTS IN PDF FORMAT:

• 6/28/10 - Decision McDonald v. Chicago
• SCOTUS Transcript of Oral Arguments in McDonald v. Chicago

• Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., writing for the majority, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy and Clarence Thomas.
• in dissented: Justices John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor.

Washington, DC - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, Chairman of the House Republican Conference, released the following statement today after the U.S. Supreme Court, in its ruling on McDonald v. Chicago, extended the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms to all fifty states:

"In its ruling today, the Supreme Court has affirmed a fundamental point of federalism: No state has the right to legislate away the blood-bought Constitutional right of every law-abiding American to protect their person, their family, and their liberty.

“This decision is a victory for the Second Amendment, but as a 5 to 4 ruling among the justices it also sends a warning. The Supreme Court is closely divided and at least four of its members would not extend a basic constitutional right to all fifty states. For that reason alone, the nomination and confirmation of any Supreme Court Justice requires careful deliberation to ensure that the members of the high court will protect the rights handed down by our Founding Fathers.” ###

Contact Matt Lloyd or Mary Vought at (202) 226-9000 or matt.lloyd@mail.house.gov