Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has an op-ed on the need to pass Amendment 2 in November. I appreciate that he broke it down to explain it to those who just assume that gun rights are “protected” without really knowing anything about the legal debates:
Simply put, this amendment to Louisiana’s Constitution acknowledges the fundamental right to keep and bear arms for legitimate purposes, and it requires any restriction on gun ownership be subject to strict scrutiny.
It’s our own Second Amendment, if you will, a new constitutional provision to repair the damage done by past judicial interpretations. You see, over the years, Louisiana courts have applied a “rational basis” legal standard to interpreting our right to bear arms. In reality, that means that the state has almost unlimited authority to confiscate, prohibit or infringe on this fundamental right. Make no mistake, I have no intention of allowing such a bill to leave my desk without a veto, but our liberties should not be held hostage to whims of future legislators and governors. By applying the “strict scrutiny” test, we elevate the protections in our constitution to the same level we provide our right to free speech.
Jindal also goes into the arguments about the federal courts being only vote away from rewriting the Second Amendment and what Congress has done to try and keep some of the assaults on gun rights that happened after Katrina from happening again, but the theme is definitely that Louisiana needs its own protection of the fundamental right just in case the whims of Congress or the federal courts change. I hope that gun owners who don’t normally follow the issue closely down there get a chance to read this piece.
What do the polls look like on this issue?
I haven’t seen any, and didn’t find any in the quick search I did. However, I did find some evidence of the media running a campaign against it. One editorial calling for a no vote practically argued that kidnappers and drug dealers would be lawfully armed and running the streets.
Per my earlier comments on this issue, I will stand by my position that whatever actual benefits may accrue from Amendment 2, it’s real purpose is to increase voter turnout on the right come election day. Jindal citing the “one [SCOTUS] vote away” meme reinforces my opinion of that.
If the media is anti-gun and pro-Obama, they are shooting themselves in the foot by playing up Amendment 2.
I think any benefits that come if Amendment 2 passes, will be accidental spinoffs from its actual agenda. In other words, gun owners will have to make sure its provisions are really adhered to; don’t expect anyone, including Jindal, to make an issue of it once its immediate political utility has passed.
“When it comes to keeping gun ownership legal, it really doesn’t matter what the
foundingdocuments actually say.”Just thought that phrase from the “It doesn’t matter what you think. . .” thread was apropos.
God how I wish he were *our* Governor! California needs the same amendment.
I wish he were a presidential nominee.
No, you don’t. He’s seriously lacking in moral courage, which is required for the job (in general, e.g. witness G. H. W. Bush’s presidency, and particularly in these times).
The incident which makes this crystal clear was a Republican dinner in New Orleans which was attended by him, one or more neighboring governors and various staffers. It was “protested” by anarchists whom the city police of course weren’t particularly interested in curbing; the big wigs escaped out a back door, the staff were left to fend for themselves. His chief fundraiser and her boyfriend were brutally assaulted on their way to their vehicle (we’re talking leg fractured in multiple places requiring the usual metal assisted reconstruction support).
For whatever reason, a desire to not damage the image of New Orleans and/or it perhaps being in the running for the RNConvention were speculated, he didn’t do jack about the incident, which of course the city police weren’t interested in. I.e. the State Police, who’s ambit includes this sort of thing were kept out. A man who won’t protect and (legally, judicially) avenge his own people is not someone you want running your country. (Hmmm, it now occurs to me that Romney’s many many actions of charity, most especially his essentially shutting down Bain and flying to NYC with dozens of staffers to track down the missing 14 year old daughter of a business partner, suggest he won’t let his own people hang out to dry when the stakes are this high.)
For details of this do a search initially limited to the blog the Hayride, i.e. with Google use site:thehayride.com, the staffer was Allee Bautsch and her boyfriend Joe Brown (who suffered a fractured jaw and nose and got a concussion). Look at the picture of her face cradled by her boyfriend’s hands in this article for a reminder of why the RKBA including today concealed carry is not optional for the survival of a republic.
I remember the incident; and that some of the “anarchists” involved have been tied to more violence since. What did you expect Jindal to do?
Bring in the State Police as I indicated above.
How about saying something about it? He’s got a bully pulpit.
Grrr, spazzed on the link to the article in The Hayride due to Firefox’s weird handling of URLs in the address bar; let’s try this again.
I could ask my mother, a native of the state, if Jindal or any major Louisiana politician can be trusted at higher levels, corruption is one of her hottest political buttons, and you might recall Chris Christie’s comment that he goes to bed every night thanking God for Illinois and Louisiana, which are more corrupt that his New Jersey in which convicted or got guilty pleas of 130 public officials before becoming governor.
Hey, at least Jindal will have a Hell of Time “distancing” himself from this statement for Political Gain if he ever goes for the Presidency in the Future.
Unlike Romney’s current “I was FOR Gun Control before I became AGAINST it. But now that I need Every Single Vote, errr …I’ve seen the Errors of my Ways…”