Letters to the Editor: Supreme Court gun ruling: 'Welcome to the post-constitutional USA'
To the editor: The Supreme Court majority has shown its willingness to invent words and interpretations of the Constitution to satisfy its political goals, and to forget words and interpretations that conflict with those goals. Clearly these justices have no understanding of the Constitution, other than as a tool to advance their political views. ("Supreme Court bolsters gun owners’ right to carry a weapon in public," June 23)
The ruling overturning laws that restrict the concealed carry of loaded handguns in public ignores the actual text and history to such an extent that it is absurd and makes it impossible to believe that the justification for any ruling this court makes is based on the law rather than politics.
The court itself is responsible for its record low approval ratings, and with the current members it is doomed to be remembered forever as a group of political hacks unworthy of respect.
Keith Price, Los Angeles
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To the editor: Welcome to the post-Constitutional USA, if it stays united. Our illustrious Supreme Court has just demonstrated yet again that it uses pretzel logic just to get the majority's politically preferred outcome, and damn the Constitution.
Gun control based on even older laws? Who cares about that precedent? Separation of church and state? Merely a suggestion. Illegal gerrymandering? Nothing we can do as long as "our side" benefits. Voting rights passed by Congress? They didn't really mean it, so let's eviscerate them.
"No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Wait, what? That's part of the Constitution?
When the Supreme Court has no respect for the Constitution, how long until no one has any respect for the Supreme Court either? Wrong-headed, unconstitutional, politically motivated decisions are only hastening the day that this will happen.
Unlike "you break it, you fix it," this is more like Humpty Dumpty — once it's broken, it's really broken.
Thomas Tsotsis, Santa Ana
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To the editor: Consider that Tombstone, Dodge City, Deadwood and Abilene all banned possession of firearms in town during the 1800s.
That means in 2022 Republicans have made America wilder than the Wild West ever was.
So what will this period be called by future generations? Moronic 'Merica? Imbecilic independence? Fatuous freedom folly? Dangerous dogma days?
Greg Seyranian, Redondo Beach
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
