Judge Cormac Carney of the U.S. District Court issued a temporary injunction on Wednesday to prevent an egregious California gun-control law, calling it “repugnant to the Second Amendment” and a challenge to the Supreme Court. This decision was a significant victory for the people’s sovereign power over establishment attacks and distortions of the U.S. Constitution.
The Second Amendment is the ultimate restraint in the hands of the sovereign people, which is precisely why Democrats and establishment elites loathe it. Yet, as Carney’s ruling makes clear, the sovereign people have cause to celebrate this decision as it upholds their constitutional right to bear arms. This right serves as a vital check on the government’s power and ensures the security of individual liberty.
The California law in question, Senate Bill 2, would have expanded the state’s ability to regulate firearms by labeling nearly all public spaces as “sensitive places” where restrictions on carrying guns would apply. This loosely defined category would have included places such as parks, public transportation, and even places where alcohol is consumed, effectively stripping individuals of their right to bear arms in most public places.
Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, a well-known anti-Second Amendment advocate, signed the bill into law in September, touting it as a measure to keep public spaces safe. However, Judge Carney rightly called out the law as “repugnant” and a brazen attempt to circumvent the Supreme Court’s rulings on the matter.
The California Rifle and Pistol Association, who brought the case to court, praised Judge Carney’s ruling as a triumph against the tyrannical actions of state leaders. Association president Chuck Michel stated, “This ruling is a clear indication that the California politicians’ efforts to undermine the Supreme Court’s mandate in the Bruen case have not gone unnoticed.”
The Bruen case, a June 2022 opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court, declared that New York state’s restrictive “proper-cause requirement” for carrying a concealed firearm violated both the Second and Fourteenth amendments. This case was a crucial victory for gun-rights advocates, as it upheld the individual’s right to carry firearms outside of their homes without a special license.
In essence, California’s Senate Bill 2 was an attempt to skirt this ruling by shifting the focus from individuals to places. But as Judge Carney’s decision makes clear, this tactic is just as unconstitutional and is nothing more than a thinly veiled assault on the Second Amendment.
If we were to apply the same standards to other constitutional rights, the absurdity and tyranny of such measures would become apparent. Imagine having to prove “special need” to exercise your freedom of speech in public, or being barred from speaking in any place where other people may be present. Such restrictions would be met with resistance and outcry,
Victory