Ari Melber Shatters NRA Myth: The Second Amendment Does Not Cover Assault Weapons

MSNBC Chief Legal Correspondent Ari Melber shattered the NRA myth that the Second Amendment applies to all types of weapons, including AR-15s.

According to Melber, who cites past court decisions and even late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the right to bear arms “is not unlimited” and “does not apply to just any weapon whatsoever.”

Video:

The MSNBC host gave viewers a lesson on the Second Amendment:

So let’s talk for a minute about the second amendment. The Supreme Court has never ruled the Second Amendment protects AR-15s or any individual right to weapons of war. And it’s not like the NRA crowd has not tried. The Supreme Court has repeatedly rejected even hearing cases trying to get Second Amendment protections for those kind of guns. In fact, it did so three times in the past three years. An appeals court ruled bashing large-capacity magazines is constitutional and does not violate the second amendment. That is the law. The supreme court has ruled, what I just read to you, remains the law right now. They did rule for an individual right to hand guns. Justice Scalia’s famous 2008 opinion. Even there, the court notes the second amendment does not apply to just any weapon whatsoever. And there’s the keywords. It’s not unlimited. That’s justice Scalia talking, even in the midst of his ruling for handguns. He was clear that other guns can still be banned.

The NRA and gun nuts have subverted the Constitution

Despite what the NRA and its gun-loving followers tell you, the Second Amendment does not give any American the right to own any weapon they choose. Like other rights granted in the Constitution, it has limits.

You don’t have to take the word of gun control activists either – look to the courts. As Ari Melber pointed out on Monday, three times in the past three years, the Supreme Court has rejected cases that sought to win legal protections for weapons like the AR-15 – a gun that has become the go-to killing machine for mass shooters.

When put before the court, it has been found that some limits to the Second Amendment – including bans on high capacity magazines and some semi-automatic weapons – are appropriate and constitutional. It doesn’t just make sense on paper, but it’s also completely legal.

It’s time for NRA-owned politicians, including Donald Trump, to stop fudging the truth about their precious Second Amendment and start working to protect the American people.

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.

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