President Trump’s nominee to replace the late Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, federal appeals Judge Neil Gorsuch, is earning rave reviews from pro-gun groups.
After the announcement was made Tuesday evening, the National Rifle Association said Trump made an “outstanding choice” with an “impressive record” defending the Second Amendment, which guarantees U.S. citizens the right to bear arms.
“We urge the Senate to swiftly confirm Judge Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, just as it did in confirming him to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit by a unanimous voice vote,” said Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA-ILA, the NRA’s lobbying arm.
Cox pointed to a legal opinion written by Gorsuch for the United States v. Games-Perez, a 2012 case examining a federal law that forbids a felon from owning a firearm, in which he wrote “the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to own firearms and may not be infringed lightly.”
Another pro-gun group, the Second Amendment Foundation, also said it was “especially impressed” with that particular legal opinion.
“Judge Gorsuch definitely understands that firearms ownership is an American tradition,” wrote SAF founder and executive vice president Alan Gottlieb.
After Trump promised in a “Second Amendment” speech in August that he wanted to pick conservative Supreme Court justices like Scalia, the SAF said, “President Trump has kept his word by nominating a superb high court candidate with an originalist approach to interpreting the Constitution, and particularly the Bill of Rights, as the Founders intended.”
Both groups urged the Senate to confirm Gorsuch.
“On behalf of our five million members, the NRA strongly supports Judge Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court,” said Cox. “We will be activating our members and tens of millions of supporters throughout the country in support of Judge Gorsuch. He will protect our right to keep and bear arms and is an outstanding choice to fill Justice Scalia’s seat.”
Groups that support gun control restrictions reacted with caution at Gorsuch’s nomination, saying they don’t yet know enough about the judge’s position on guns.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence tweeted Gorsuch has a “mixed record on guns,” and “must answer to whether he’ll uphold existing lifesaving gun laws.”
Everytown for Gun Safety, which claims to be the largest gun-violence prevention group in America, said it has “some concerns” about Gorsuch, and said, “we need to know where he stands when it comes to enforcing our gun laws.”
“His past judgments appear to indicate an openness to making it easier for felons – people currently prohibited from possessing guns – to own guns. This is out of line with the vast majority of Americans and undermines law enforcement’s ability to prosecute gun crimes and preserve public safety,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety.
The group is urging people to send the following message to the senators to further explore Gorsuch’s stance on guns:
Dear Senator —
There are some serious concerns about President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch.
Gorsuch’s record doesn’t tell us too much about his views on guns. But here’s what we do know: He has issued multiple decisions that have undermined our public safety laws and made it harder for law enforcement to prosecute criminals who illegally get guns.
We need a Supreme Court justice who will uphold our strong gun laws — not enable the gun lobby’s extreme and perverted vision of the Constitution.
I’m asking you to demand answers from Trump’s Supreme Court nominee about where he stands on guns.
