Ben Cardin Reads the Tea Leaves

rambling_one · May 29th, 2011, 01:53 PM

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 · May 29th, 2011, 02:25 PM

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."

md_rick_o · May 29th, 2011, 02:35 PM

In my opinion this guy is an idiot and so is anyone that votes for him.

Inigoes · May 29th, 2011, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuebecoisWolf

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...

Sirex · May 29th, 2011, 04:30 PM

All laws are typically unclear and enforced with bias by the executive and judicial branches.

pcfixer · May 30th, 2011, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rambling_one

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 · May 30th, 2011, 05:24 AM

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"

gprimr1 · May 31st, 2011, 10:44 PM

Quote:

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 · June 1st, 2011, 06:57 AM

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 · June 1st, 2011, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rambling_one

.....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.

ezliving · November 7th, 2011, 08:28 AM

Ben Cardin has announced that he is running for reelection.

Dave Jr. · November 7th, 2011, 08:33 AM

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?

jac43k · November 7th, 2011, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ezliving

Ben Cardin has announced that he is running for reelection.

Anyone running against him???

EL1227 · November 7th, 2011, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ezliving

Ben Cardin has announced that he is running for reelection.

Time to get-out-the-vote ... against BC.

K31 · November 7th, 2011, 08:58 AM

Write back and ask him if he thinks that Brown v. the Board of Education only applies to Topeka.

Norton · November 7th, 2011, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ezliving

Ben Cardin has announced that he is running for reelection.

It's hardly a race when he's guaranteed to win.

Half-cocked · November 7th, 2011, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norton

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. · November 7th, 2011, 09:58 AM

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.

gprimr1 · November 7th, 2011, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Jr.

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 · November 7th, 2011, 04:07 PM

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.

May 29th, 2011, 01:53 PM	#1
rambling_one MSI Board Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bowie, MD Posts: 3,020 Images: 1	Ben Cardin Reads the Tea Leaves 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. __________________ Berwyn Rod & Gun Club - Life Member MD Hunter Safety Instructor - 17 Years MD Designated Collector MSI Executive Member SAF - Life Member NRA - Life Member (Benefactor) AZ, CT, FL, ME, NH, UT, VA Permits A PRO GUN DEMOCRAT PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING MSI

May 29th, 2011, 02:35 PM	#3
md_rick_o MSI EM Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Severn Md. Posts: 3,017 Images: 2	In my opinion this guy is an idiot and so is anyone that votes for him. __________________ Si vis pacem, para bellum

May 29th, 2011, 04:30 PM	#5
Sirex Powered by natural gas Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Westminster, MD Posts: 2,892	All laws are typically unclear and enforced with bias by the executive and judicial branches. __________________ Resident smart ass

June 1st, 2011, 06:57 AM	#9
Llyrin Yankee-Rebel Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Charles Co Posts: 2,468	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. __________________ Llyrin ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ NRA Endowment Member Collector of Curios & Relics Member: Maryland Shall Issue Member: Tea Party Patriots Member: Heritage Foundation Maryland Designated Collector Think about it: I'm left-handed, so I'm in my right mind. The rest of you are governed by the left. God only gave the Irish whiskey to prevent us from taking over the world.

November 7th, 2011, 08:28 AM	#11
ezliving Besieger Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Undisclosed Secure Location Posts: 4,416	Ben Cardin has announced that he is running for reelection. __________________ In Muscarello v. United States, 524 U. S. 125 (1998), in the course of analyzing the meaning of “carries a firearm” in a federal criminal statute, JUSTICE GINSBURG wrote that “[s]urely a most familiar meaning is, as the Constitution’s Second Amendment . . . indicate[s]: ‘wear, bear, or carry . . . upon the person or in the clothing or in a pocket, for the purpose . . . of being armed and ready for offensive or defensive action in a case of conflict with another person.’ ” DC v. Heller (2008.)

May 29th, 2011, 02:25 PM	#2
QuebecoisWolf Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Anne Arundel Posts: 2,815 Images: 2	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."

May 30th, 2011, 05:24 AM	#7
LongTom Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 177	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"

November 7th, 2011, 08:33 AM	#12
Dave Jr. Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Wye River, MD Posts: 80	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?

November 7th, 2011, 08:58 AM	#15
K31 You're Harshing My Mellow Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: AA county Posts: 14,764 Images: 9	Write back and ask him if he thinks that Brown v. the Board of Education only applies to Topeka. __________________ Giving "respectful, civil gun owners a bad name" since January 15th, 2006. My opinions are my own and not necessarily those of my employer. Which is self evident, because my opinions are so awesome! “If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.” - Will Rogers "The 'War on Poverty? Whose side are they on?" - Carl, caller to WMAL talk show

November 7th, 2011, 09:58 AM	#18
Dave Jr. Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Wye River, MD Posts: 80	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.

November 7th, 2011, 04:07 PM	#20
WeaponsCollector Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Southern MD Posts: 7,530 Images: 32	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. __________________ Schools and shopping malls are easy targets for terrorists and other insane killers. It's time we understand this simple fact and encourage good citizens to be prepared and capable of protecting themselves and others in such places. 90% of polls are biased and agenda-driven, easily manipulated based on who's involved and how the questions are worded. Makes for great propaganda.

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