The Supreme Court has relisted two Second Amendment cases for its conference on Friday January 17. They include Snope v. Brown, which concerns whether Maryland may ban semiautomatic rifles that are in common use for lawful purposes, and Ocean State Tactical v. Rhode Island, which asks whether a confiscatory ban on the possession of magazines that are in common use violates the Second Amendment. Last Friday, when it relisted these cases, the Court denied certiorari in two other Second Amendment petitions (see my posts on all four of the cases here and here).
The courts of appeals in the above two relisted cases held that no one "needs" the banned rifles and magazines that Americans nationwide choose. They rely on the false premise that the government will be there to protect them.
Recent mass tragedies reaffirm how inapt or incapable the government may be to protect lives. They are wakeup calls for why Second Amendment rights are so fundamental. It's been said time and again, but citizens really are their own first responders.
