Ben Cardin Reads the Tea Leaves

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  • rambling_one

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 19, 2007
    6,725
    Bowie, MD
    Thank you for writing to me regarding gun control.

    In June 2008 the Supreme Court decided the case of District of Columbia v. Heller. The Court analyzed the meaning of the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which states: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." The Court held that the Second Amendment protects an individual rather than a collective right to possess a firearm. The Court also held that this Second Amendment right is not unlimited, and it is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner for any purpose. The Court struck down as unconstitutional the District of Columbia's handgun ban and trigger-lock requirement, holding that the ban was too broad and violates an individual's right of self-defense in the home.

    The impact of this complicated 64-page decision is still not clear, as the District of Columbia has a unique legal status and had one of the most restrictive gun control laws in the country. I support the right of law-abiding citizens to own and use firearms, under reasonable, common-sense regulations.

    Over the next year the Maryland General Assembly and localities in Maryland will weigh what changes in law they need to make, if any, to comply with the Court's decision. Further lawsuits are likely, citing Heller, to challenge certain local and state gun control ordinances and laws.

    Thank you again for contacting me. Please feel free to do so again.
     

    QuebecoisWolf

    Ultimate Member
    May 14, 2008
    3,767
    Anne Arundel
    WHAT??? Senator Cardin thinks that Heller is "unclear" and only applies to DC??? I thought that Lesson 1 in Law 101 is "Cases establish precedent, Supreme Court cases establish national precedents." Either that or Cardin thinks that legal precedent is his interpretation of the case, not the Supreme Court's.

    Also, he totally lost me at "reasonable, common-sense regulations."
     

    Inigoes

    Head'n for the hills
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 21, 2008
    49,354
    SoMD / West PA
    WHAT??? Senator Cardin thinks that Heller is "unclear" and only applies to DC??? I thought that Lesson 1 in Law 101 is "Cases establish precedent, Supreme Court cases establish national precedents." Either that or Cardin thinks that legal precedent is his interpretation of the case, not the Supreme Court's.

    You know how to make a convincing lie, blend in some truth, Right???

    It was true, that Heller only applied to DC and the federal jurisdictions. Notice how he omitted McDonald which incorporated the 2A against the states...

    Typical progressive double speak!

    edit: Ben probably doesn't like AG Gansler's comment, that long rifle carry is legal...
     

    pcfixer

    Ultimate Member
    May 24, 2009
    5,947
    Marylandstan
    Thank you for writing to me regarding gun control.

    In June 2008 the Supreme Court decided the case of District of Columbia v. Heller. The Court analyzed the meaning of the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which states: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." The Court held that the Second Amendment protects an individual rather than a collective right to possess a firearm. The Court also held that this Second Amendment right is not unlimited, and it is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner for any purpose. The Court struck down as unconstitutional the District of Columbia's handgun ban and trigger-lock requirement, holding that the ban was too broad and violates an individual's right of self-defense in the home.

    The impact of this complicated 64-page decision is still not clear, as the District of Columbia has a unique legal status and had one of the most restrictive gun control laws in the country. I support the right of law-abiding citizens to own and use firearms, under reasonable, common-sense regulations.

    Over the next year the Maryland General Assembly and localities in Maryland will weigh what changes in law they need to make, if any, to comply with the Court's decision. Further lawsuits are likely, citing Heller, to challenge certain local and state gun control ordinances and laws.

    Thank you again for contacting me. Please feel free to do so again.

    Cardin is NOT a 2A advocate. I got this same letter over a year ago.
    Wonder why the NRA gives Cardin a F rating!
     

    LongTom

    Active Member
    Jan 13, 2010
    220
    Southern Maryland
    Translation -

    "We will see how bulletproof Maryland's current gun laws are. Over the next year we will examine how Heller will affect current laws and attempt to either come up with a good court defense for them or change them in some subtle way in order to keep the same or greater level of restriction on the serfs

    ...Oh and blah blah blah nobody really read your hand written letter anyways so here's a canned response that doesn't really say anything to nail down my official position on this issue"
     

    MDFF2008

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 12, 2008
    24,735
    Over the next year the Maryland General Assembly and localities in Maryland will weigh what changes in law they need to make, if any, to comply with the Court's decision. Further lawsuits are likely, citing Heller, to challenge certain local and state gun control ordinances and laws.

    AKA

    Shit, we are probably going to get our discriminatory and arbitrary law nullified by the courts so how can we go back and make sure that the requirements for Shall Issue are so astronomical that we will have to go back to court to defend them at your expense.
     

    Llyrin

    Yankee-Rebel
    Mar 14, 2009
    2,602
    Charles Co
    I think he was being the typical politician and said...nothing. We can infer a lot, and being MD, we can infer a worst-case scenario, but in the end, he said nothing. Might as well have not sent a reply at all.
     

    JOBU

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Aug 14, 2010
    5,528
    STALAG Montgomery
    .....I support the right of law-abiding citizens to own and use firearms, under reasonable, common-sense regulations.

    I wonder how the Senator would feel if we were to put under reasonable review, and common-sense regulation, the "....establishment of [Senator's Cardin's own*] religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."?

    * Let's just set the record straight: Senator Cardin is not a member of the Church of Scotland.;)
     

    Dave Jr.

    Member
    Nov 9, 2010
    83
    Wye River, MD
    I just don't understand how the state can take away our right to carry. I'm a law abiding, tax paying citizen and former LE and still can't carry. I just don't get it. Why isn't the NRA lobbying in State House?
     

    K31

    "Part of that Ultra MAGA Crowd"
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 15, 2006
    35,632
    AA county
    Write back and ask him if he thinks that Brown v. the Board of Education only applies to Topeka.
     

    Half-cocked

    Senior Meatbag
    Mar 14, 2006
    23,937
    It's hardly a race when he's guaranteed to win.

    The Soviets held elections, too - with outcomes, naturally, as predictable and contrived as most of Maryland's, today. In socialism, you must at least give the appearance of giving the rabble a voice.
     

    Dave Jr.

    Member
    Nov 9, 2010
    83
    Wye River, MD
    My Representative is Andy Harris in District 1 on the Eastern Shore. I was in an Annpolis gun shop when he walks in (just after his election). All the guys knew him but never referred to him by name. Rep Harris was talking about buying and shipping a hand gun to his son in California. I'm pretty sure Rep. Harris carries as well. You would think he would be fighing for our rights but I haven't seen anything from him that proves he does.
     

    MDFF2008

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 12, 2008
    24,735
    I just don't understand how the state can take away our right to carry. I'm a law abiding, tax paying citizen and former LE and still can't carry. I just don't get it. Why isn't the NRA lobbying in State House?

    Your rights didn't exist in Maryland until 2010. Maryland's Constitution has no right to bear arms, only a small clause about the Federal constitution providing rights not listed in Maryland's one.

    A clear right to keep and bear arms was re-enforced in 2010 in McDonald vs Chicago.

    There is a lot of information on the NRA in Maryland here. The NRA really doesn't have the resources to fight in each state house.

    That is where groups like Maryland Shall Issue come into play. Maryland Shall Issue is the state level pro-2A organization fighting for your rights in the state house, and when they have hearings on gun bills, we need everyone who can make it to come and speak against them.
     

    WeaponsCollector

    EXTREME GUN OWNER
    Mar 30, 2009
    12,120
    Southern MD
    All you need is that big "D" next to your name to become a senator from Maryland and now if that doesn't work we've got those nifty new electronic voting machine that can easily be hacked or controlled with a few secret lines of code.
    Makes me want to puke.
     

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