Is the tide turning?

Two years ago, guns and ammo of all kinds and flavors were scarce. Dealers were accused of price gouging and people who did not own guns up to that point were buying evil black rifles in fear that they might not be able to do so in a couple of months because of the looming specter of them being made verboten.

In the 24 months since, prices and ammo availability have stabilized somewhat. More importantly, instead of seeing endless anti-gun bills to the left, right, above and below, we’ve begun to see the needle move in the direction of protecting firearms rights:

States started passing preemption bills protecting the Second Amendment. Guam became “shall issue” and flickers of hope have glimmered in the Ninth Circuit of all places (California and Hawaii, to be specific). If only the Ninth Circuit saw things as clearly as the Florida Court of Appeal does

The National Reciprocity Act of 2015 is picking up steam. No doubt, President Obama would likely use his pen to scuttle any attempt at a sensible, nation-wide protection of the right to bear. However, as the TownHall.com article points out, a “similar piece of legislation introduced by Cornyn in 2013 nearly passed in the Democrat controlled Senate“. Can a veto-proof vote be achieved? Or will it be another vote to help guide voter’s decisions in 2016 as the ACA did in 2014? Stay tuned.

While dismantling the NFA or the 1968 Gun Control Act were heretofore relegated to “Inglourious Basterds” grade fantasy, the Second Amendment Foundation has taken a bite out of that latter onerous and unreasonable piece of legislation. From that press release:

“…a federal judge ruled that a man convicted of a misdemeanor crime several years ago, but who has demonstrated that he “would present no more threat to the community” than an average law-abiding citizen, may not lose his Second Amendment rights under a federal gun control statute known as 922(g)(1).”

Take heart. Maybe Leonard Cohen was right: Democracy IS coming to the USA….

I think we’re in the midst of a cultural revolution. The country is undergoing a re-awakening. This is not the Reagan Revolution of 1980. It’s more of a restorationist movement. People, young and old, have come to appreciate the founding principles of this country: personal freedom, private property rights and limited government. And they’ve discovered the joy of guns.

A broad restoration of ALL Americans’ right to keep and bear arms is not likely to be achieved through a “long march through the institutions”. A reset of culture and mindset takes a generation or two and a commitment of the news readers and Hollywood to carry the water. A shift of tectonic plate proportions is not likely to be achieved by storming the metaphorical barricades of existing legislation or a courtroom showdown. The Supreme Court (any court, for that matter) deals with singular, particular questions.

This oppressive behemoth that is the compendium of laws infringing on our Second Amendment rights will have to die a death of a thousand paper cuts.

As the SAF’s Executive Vice President, Alan Gottlieb, puts it: the fight may require “winning firearms freedom one lawsuit at a time.”

Case in point: the story to watch in this coming week:  Pena v. Lindley.

 

—Arthur Z Przebinda, MD is an imagingazprzebinda_70x88 specialist in Southern California. He advocates for the Second Amendment in his state and nationally and since 2017 serves as DRGO’s Project Director. 

All DRGO articles by Arthur Z. Przebinda, MD.