Time To Act

 Like many thinking human beings, I was outraged by the Supreme Court's ruling on June 23 to strike down the restrictions New York state legislators put on carrying a concealed weapon. The New York law required those that wanted to carry a concealed handgun to be able to show "proper cause." The six Republican-appointed justices felt this was an infringement on those who chose to pack heat in one of the most crowded streets in the country. This law was not one that had been rushed through the Empire State's legislature in the wake of recent gun violence. The Sullivan Act was passed back in 1911 as a response to the a particularly brazen murder-suicide committed below Fourteenth Street. For more than one hundred years, citizens of New York were required to have a license to carry a concealed weapon, with a special focus on those living in the city so nice they named it twice. 

Not anymore. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association. The Court, or most of it anyway, ruled that the Sullivan Act violates the Second and Fourteenth amendments, which “protect an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home.” I assume that self-defense inside the home will come under a separate ruling. 

As a thinking human being, it came to me like a bolt out of the blue: The Supreme Court is quite comfortable setting "constitutional precedents" based on a world that existed two hundred fifty years ago. When the Constitution was first drafted, of course, there was no such thing as a "concealed weapon." A flintlock pistol wouldn't exactly fit in anyone's pants, especially the knickers favored by most of the men of that time. And speaking of men, it makes even more sense that this court feels comfortable rolling back the decisions surrounding a woman's right to choose since everyone knows that there were no women back in 1787. Women didn't appear for another one hundred thirty-two years later after somebody noticed that more than half the population were girls. And they should be given the right to vote. That came fifty years after African-Americans were allowed this same freedom. 

If it seems as though some of the same folks who are completely comfortable picking and choosing which verses of the Bible to take literally are the same ones who are consistently working to walk back the progress made on the part of those who would like the Constitution to reflect the world in which we actually live, that's no coincidence. Accent on the "dense." 

If you're still wondering why this "right to vote" thing is so very important, take a long hard look at the frightened, white, entitled individuals who are making these choices for us. We can't vote for the Supreme Court, but we most definitely choose those who make those appointments and confirm them. Get ready.