Regardless of your position in the abortion debate, you have to recognize the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade on American life for decades. Hundreds if not thousands of laws regulating or banning abortion all met the buzz saw of courts citing the Roe v. Wade precedent.
Today, our gun rights cause has a similar U.S. Supreme Court precedent. The Bruen decision mandates that courts must use text, history and tradition in evaluating the constitutionality of modern day gun laws challenged in court.
Obviously, the text of the Second Amendment – “shall not be infringed” – is pretty straight-forward. Simplifying things a bit, government today may only restrict the right to keep and bear arms today in ways they were restricted in common practice in 1791 when the Second Amendment was ratified.
Cases are being filed every day. Court decisions applying the Bruen “text, history and traditions” test are coming down on a near-daily basis. Regardless if these orders or decisions merely block enforcement or if they outright repeal unconstitutional gun restrictions, the effective outcome is the same for law-abiding gun owners: the bad gun laws no longer apply.
With Bruen, the Second Amendment is no longer a second-class right. For some, it may take a while to grow accustomed to increased freedom.
Two constants will remain. First, that the only thing that stops bad people with evil in their hearts is a good guy (or gal) with a gun. And secondly, that an armed society is a polite society.