Newt Gingrich on Gun Control Former Republican Representative (GA-6) and Speaker of the House

Don’t redefine Constitution with no individual right to arms

Anyone who thinks various Supreme Court decisions are not adequately worrisome need only look at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to see how domination by secular Left-liberal judges will change America. It is hard to imagine that one court could be so out of step with the views of the vast majority of the American people. And it is unforgivable that this destructive pattern could have been going on for a generation without an effective challenge.

For example, consider the following 9th Court decision: Silveira v. Lockyear, (2002): The 9th Circuit held there is no individual right to keep and bear arms.

Gun rights to opposing oppression; not for hunting

The history of the last quarter-century has been a brutal reminder of the wisdom of the Founding Fathers. Poland and Hungary were disarmed, and when their citizens tried to rebel, they had no weapons with which to defend their country or their freedom. Afghanistan was an intensely armed country, on the other hand, and the Soviets found it impossible to break their spirit of freedom.

Those who believe in the right to bear arms felt more than vindicated by the remarkably different results in the struggle for freedom between armed and unarmed populations.

Federal enforcement options for state gun crimes

Fact: The proposed legislation provides prosecutors with the OPTION of taking a state gun crime to the federal courts--it doesn't require it. This provision gives overburdened state and local law enforcement access to tougher federal tools including mandatory sentences and a functioning prison system that guarantees truth-in-sentencing. America's worst violent criminals can be taken into the federal system, where they will be more likely to serve a full prison sentence and will be less likely to be released early, back onto the streets to commit more deadly crimes.