Last year, liberals in DC were furious with the US Supreme Court for striking down the city’s strict gun-control law. In DC v Heller, the high court found that individuals have the right to bear arms, and not just within the 2nd Amendment’s famous “well-armedregulated militia.” Since then, gun-rights groups have used that decision to challenge gun-control statutes all across the country. Strangely enough, the National Rifle Association is getting some help in at least one of those case from liberal Yale law profs and other activists normally on the other side of such fights. Why?
Legal Times’ Tony Mauro explains that the liberal lawyers see progressive benefits to the cases. Doug Kendall, founder of the Constitutional Accountability Center, tells Mauro that if successful, the lawsuits “would have a “lift-all-boats” effect, strengthening free speech, and possibly even abortion and gay rights, at the same time that it bolsters the right to bear arms.” Of course, gun control groups aren’t so happy about the new-found alliance. The legal director of the Brady Center to End Gun Violence tells Mauro, “It’s unfortunate that they would choose to participate in a gun case to grind that particular ax.” Still, given that most people think gun control laws don’t work, maybe trading useless gun control measures for stronger legal protections for the rights of women, minorities and gays is actually a pretty inspired idea.
