September 17 is much more significant than just any other ordinary day. On September 17, 1787, the founding fathers of the United States of America signed one of the most important documents in our nation’s history: The Constitution. It codified the principles of freedom, liberty, and justice into the fabric of our Democracy. To celebrate our nation’s history, the Monmouth College Political Science Department sponsored a Constitution Day event. The department delivered a lecture titled: The “State” of the Second Amendment.
Professor Jessica Vivian discussed the basic legal implications attached to the Second Amendment. The Constitution affords US citizens rights in plain text and beyond the words of the document. Each of these rights are subject to a standard of review by our nation’s highest court. The Supreme Court of The Unites States assesses whether a law has run afoul to the Constitution. If the government passes a law that limits the right to bear arms, the government must have an important purpose in which the law that is passed substantially relates to achieving that purpose.
Professor Andre Audette went further in explaining Supreme Court jurisprudence on this issue. According to Audette, Second Amendment cases are very limited and most of those cases have been adjudicated within the last decade. From 1787 to 1939, one case was brought to the Supreme Court. The next two cases would not be heard until 2008 and 2010. The Supreme Court has stayed away from gun-related issues for most of our nation’s history and only now is this issue becoming more prominent in the legal system.
Professor Mike Nelson broadened the scope of the discussion by illustrating how the US stacks up to the rest of the world. Most countries unlike the U.S that do allow their citizens to own guns have done so through statutory means. This makes the United States unique from almost every country in the world.
It can be concluded, considering each professor’s idiosyncrasies, much can be said about the Second Amendment.
Matthew Datlof - Contributing Writer