On June 26, 2008, the United States Supreme Court handed down a narrow (5-4) decision confirming that the Second Amendment applies as an INDIVIDUAL right to keep and bear arms. Less than one year later, that decision is being challenged.

The 2008 case (District of Columbia vs. Heller) challenged the ban on firearm ownership in Washington D.C. The District claimed that the Second Amendment does not apply to individuals, but rather is a right granted to the National Guard. The Supreme Court denied the District's argument and upheld that the Second Amendment, in fact, applies to individuals. Gun owners rejoiced, relaxed, and many voted Barack Obama into the Presidency. Enter the next phase in the fight for our rights.

Washington D.C. is a federal territory. It is not a sovereign state. Since the ruling, city-wide gun bans continue to be enforced across the country. Cities claim that the Second Amendment applies only at the Federal Level and has no influence on state law. Supreme Court justice nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, agrees. In Maloney v. Cuomo, Sotomayor signed an opinion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit that said the Second Amendment does not protect individuals from having their right to keep and bear arms restricted by state governments.

Earlier this week, a U.S. District Court upheld a gun ban in Chicago and Oak Park, Illinois, citing that the Second Amendment has no bearing on state law.

The Second Amendment is part of the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is the Supreme Law of the Land. In addition to the right to keep and bear arms, the Bill of Rights also acknowledges the right to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to privacy, the right to fair trial, the right against self-incrimination, as well as other rights. Therefore, if the Second Amendment is deemed to apply only at the federal level, then surely all of our other rights will be thrown out, in effect, nullifying the Constitution.

We have run out of time. We cannot afford any more mistakes. We cannot afford any more anti-gun activists in government. We cannot afford to be apathetic or to let the other guy do the work. If we lose the Second Amendment, we lose the country.

Get on the phone and spread the word on AM talk radio. Get on the internet and spread the word there. Your representatives in Congress have no plans to oppose the confirmation of Justice Sotomayor. Persuade them to change their minds. Not just the Republicans, but the Democrats as well. You must convince the Democrats that an anti-gun judge in the Supreme Court is unacceptable. It will take nothing short of a national, wildfire movement to get the attention of the big media. It can be done, but only with the support of the many voters who helped elect President Obama.

Jennifer Freeman is Executive Director and co-founder of Liberty Belles, a grass-roots organization dedicated to restoring and preserving the Second Amendment.
http://www.libertybelles.org
jennifer@libertybelles.org