After the retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens’ New York Times op-ed arguing to repeal the second amendment was published, President Donald Trump was quick to respond.
“THE SECOND AMENDMENT WILL NEVER BE REPEALED! As much as Democrats would like to see this happen, and despite the words yesterday of former Supreme Court Justice Stevens, NO WAY. We need more Republicans in 2018 and must ALWAYS hold the Supreme Court!” tweeted Trump on Wednesday.
Over the weekend, there were a series of protests as part of the March for Our Lives movement, a student-led demonstration in support of introducing stricter gun control.
The White House issued a statement applauding “the many courageous young Americans exercising their First Amendment rights today.”
The White House deputy press secretary Lindsay Walters also said, “keeping our children safe is a top priority of the President’s, which is why he urged Congress to pass the Fix NICS and STOP School Violence Acts, and signed them into law.”
On Tuesday, the New York Times took advantage of the anti-gun momentum and published the controversial op-ed titled “John Paul Stevens: Repeal the Second Amendment.”
Stevens argues that the Second Amendment gives the National Rifle Association too much power and repealing the law may be the only solution.
“That decision — which I remain convinced was wrong and certainly was debatable — has provided the N.R.A. with a propaganda weapon of immense power. Overturning that decision via a constitutional amendment to get rid of the Second Amendment would be simple and would do more to weaken the N.R.A.’s ability to stymie legislative debate and block constructive gun control legislation than any other available option,” writes Stevens. “It would eliminate the only legal rule that protects sellers of firearms in the United States — unlike every other market in the world. It would make our schoolchildren safer than they have been since 2008 and honor the memories of the many, indeed far too many, victims of recent gun violence.”
However, as Trump points out, there is a conservative majority in the Supreme Court, meaning this is highly unlikely to happen.
Author’s note: The Second Amendment will remain. It’s a right for a reason. The conservative majority could potentially remain in the Supreme Court for at least two more generations. Anthony Kennedy is 81, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 85, and Stephen G. Breyer is 79. If two out of the three are replaced with conservatives, then a majority is assured for a long time.