Within hours of President Obama announcing his newest pick for the U.S. Supreme Court to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia, a defender of the Second Amendment, the National Rifle Association announced its plan to oppose Judge Merrick Garland.
It was an unusually swift response from the NRA.
Chris W. Cox, the executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action, said that Garland, or any pick by Obama, would lead to gun control and a challenge to the Second Amendment’s call for gun rights.
Garland has a reputation for being “hostile” to gun rights.
Cox:
With Justice Scalia’s tragic passing, there is no longer a majority of support among the justices for the fundamental, individual right to own a firearm for self-defense. Four justices believe law-abiding Americans have that right – and four justices do not. President Obama has nothing but contempt for the Second Amendment and law-abiding gun owners.
Obama has already nominated two Supreme Court justices who oppose the right to own firearms and there is absolutely no reason to think he has changed his approach this time. In fact, a basic analysis of Merrick Garland’s judicial record shows that he does not respect our fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms for self-defense. Therefore, the National Rifle Association, on behalf of our five million members and tens of millions of supporters across the country, strongly opposes the nomination of Merrick Garland for the U.S. Supreme Court.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
