Legal Commentary

Lindsey Graham: Love The Gun, Hate The Suspected Terrorist

By Big Tent Democrat

Gail Collins:

There seems to be a strong sentiment in Congress that the only constitutional right suspected terrorists have is the right to bear arms. “I think you’re going too far here,” said Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina at a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday. He was speaking in opposition to a bill that would keep people on the F.B.I. terrorist watch list from buying guns and explosives.

Say what? Yes, if you are on the terrorist watch list, the authorities can keep you from getting on a plane but not from purchasing an AK-47. This makes sense to Congress because, as Graham accurately pointed out, “when the founders sat down and wrote the Constitution, they didn’t consider flying.”

[. . .] “We make it so easy for dangerous people to get guns. If it’s the Second Amendment, it doesn’t matter if they’re Osama bin Laden,” said Paul Helmke, the president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

To be clear, I disagree with the SCOTUS' Heller decision (Jeralyn agrees with it), so it is easy for me to support limiting access to guns for suspected terrorists. If you think it is a fundamental right, like say, Fifth Amendment rights (see Miranda), hesitancy in restricting that right seems logical. Too bad that hesitancy is not seen regarding the restricting of all fundamental Constitutional rights (Lindsey Graham again: "I am all into national security. ... I want to stop reading these guys their Miranda rights[.]”)

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on May 06, 2010 (boomark / email).