re: #533 Iron Fist

I’ve said it repeatedly and linked it more than once (and I’m not the only person who has noted it), her position on the Second Amendment is unacceptable. Jurisprudence and precedent are moving in the direction of greater protections from government overreach on the Second Amendment issue. She is a step backwards on the issue.

The NRA is withholding judgment until they get more information. More people should follow that example.

Sotomayor, however, sat on a panel that issued an opinion in a controversial case that could impact gun-owners’ rights, Maloney v. Cuomo. Sotomayor and other members of the court ruled that the Second Amendment does not apply to the states, only to the federal government. The plaintiff in the case argued that a state law barring him from owning nunchucks, a martial arts weapon, violated his constitutional right to bear arms.

Sotomayor’s court also ruled that the Supreme Court’s decision District of Columbia v. Heller, which invalidated the District’s law against handgun possession, did not go so far as to apply the Second Amendment to state law.

This ruling has given some Senate Republican aides and conservative activists hope that the NRA would immerse itself in the debate over Sotomayor.

But a spokesman for the organization said it’s staying on the sidelines for now.

“Right now we have a lot of concerns and questions and we hope to have those addressed during the confirmation hearing and throughout the process,” said Andrew Arulanandam, an NRA spokesman. “As far as our actions, we reserve the right to do anything based on what we find out.

“All options are on the table,” he added. “As we speak today, we’re waiting for the confirmation process. A research team is looking into her record on our issue.”