October 03, 2005

Miers on Right to Keep and Bear Arms

There actually is a paper trail of sorts on Miers' potential stance on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

Dave Kopel at The Volokh Conspiracy has the details (ht: Instapundit).

Kopel links to a piece at The New Republic Online that posts part of an article Miers wrote after a courthouse shooting spree in Fort Worth. It seems to be quite telling...

How does a free society prevent a man from climbing to the top of a tower on a university campus and randomly killing whoever is in sight? How does a free society prevent a man from driving a truck into a cafeteria and executing patrons? How does a free society prevent a man from entering a courtroom and opening fire? We are loath to hear the answer to these questions as it comes from our lips, because the suggested solutions usually infringe on precious, constitutionally guaranteed freedoms.

The same liberties that ensure a free society make the innocent vulnerable to those who prevent rights and privileges and commit senseless and cruel acts. Those precious liberties include free speech, freedom to assemble, freedom of liberties, access to public places, the right to bear arms and freedom from constant surveillance. We are not willing to sacrifice these rights because of the acts of maniacs.

I agree with every bit of that.

She goes on to describe how the American justice system treats the symptoms of crime instead of the root causes...

Additionally, we are reminded that success in fighting crime in our nation is more than treating symptoms. We will be successful in solving our massive crime problems only when we attack the root causes. All of us, men and women, young and old, must pledge ourselves to address the ills that surround us in our communities.

We all can be active in some way to address the social issues that foster criminal behavior, such as: lack of self-esteem or hope in some segments of our society, poverty, lack of health care (particularly mental health care), lack of education, and family dysfunction. [Emphasis added.]

While I feel slightly better, I still stand by my earlier Star Wars quote...at least for now.

Comments:

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She also advocated for an international criminal court and gay adoption rights.

Posted by: JB at October 4, 2005 07:22 AM

international criminal court and gay adoption rights

NOW we're talkin'!

Posted by: brittney at October 4, 2005 07:38 AM