Greetings from the land of guns and religion

It’s that time of year when postcards from traveling friends and family arrive in our mailbox with pretty pictures of beaches and mountains and captions like “Land of a thousand lakes” or “We do everything big in Texas” under the photo of a giant cowboy. On the back of the card usually a few scribbled thoughts like “Wish you here.”

In keeping with that summer tradition I thought I’d send along “Greetings from Pennsylvania.” You’ll have to use your imagination to see the full color photo of the Liberty Bell and the panoramic view of Independence Hall where 234 years ago our Founding Fathers created the Declaration of Independence. On the back of my postcard I’ve written a special message: “Having fun here in PA clinging to our guns and religion.”

Thanks to the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling we may indeed keep our guns for some time to come. The relief, and speaking for myself, surprise, at the sweeping defense of the Second Amendment, albeit by a slim 5 to 4 margin, by this court, made the Fourth of July even more a cause for celebration.

What began two years ago in the landmark case District of Columbia v. Heller was reinforced and expanded in the June 28, 2010 ruling in McDonald v. City of Chicago where the court showed the strongest possible support for the Second Amendment, stating clearly that the right to keep and bear arms applies not only to self-defense within one’s home, even in a “federal enclave,” but to every jurisdiction in the nation.

Finding himself on the losing end of this most recent case, Chicago’s mayor, Richard M. Daley, as reported in the Christian Science Monitor, said he was “never giving up this fight” and that “They (the NRA) are stronger than Obama, Daley. They can’t be sued. They are the power of America…They give a lot of money to politicians.”

Excuse me while I enjoy a brief chuckle over a Chicago politician, a member of the fabled Daley dynasty no less, speaking disparagingly about organizations that give money to politicians.

The lower courts will now play an important role in defining when a municipal or state gun control law violates the Second Amendment. The McDonald ruling is not a carte blanche for everyone to be walking around with an Uzi. Within the majority opinion, Justice Alito wrote:

It is important to keep in mind that Heller, while striking down a law that prohibited the possession of handguns in the home, recognized that the right to keep and bear arms is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.