What are the two major Supreme Court rulings that address the Second Amendment?

There have been two landmark Supreme Court rulings on the Second Amendment in recent years: District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. City of Chicago.

Do the states or federal government control the manufacture and distribution of guns?

Congress can regulate firearms through its commerce and taxing powers—powers enumerated in the US Constitution. The NFA levied taxes on the manufacture, sale and transfer of certain classes of firearms and enacted regulatory provisions related to the collection of those taxes. …

Are state gun laws unconstitutional?

The NRA has stated unequivocally that every gun law is unconstitutional. In Columbia v. Heller, the handgun control statutes that were enacted in 1976 were being questioned in 2008. Gun control opponents argued that these regulations violated a person’s rights that are guaranteed under the Second Amendment.

Are bullets protected under the Second Amendment?

The Second Amendment protects “arms,” “weapons,” and “firearms”; it does not explicitly protect ammunition. Nevertheless, without bullets, the right to bear arms would be meaningless. Thus “the right to possess firearms for protection implies a corresponding right” to obtain the bullets necessary to use them.

Is the Second Amendment a collective right?

Scholars have come to call this theory “the collective rights theory.” A collective rights theory of the Second Amendment asserts that citizens do not have an individual right to possess guns and that local, state, and federal legislative bodies therefore possess the authority to regulate firearms without implicating a …

What is the difference between state and federal gun laws?

In these gun laws pages, we refer to both “federal gun laws” and “state gun laws.” The major difference between the two has to do with who makes the law, who prosecutes someone who violates the law, and what the penalty is for breaking the law.

What does the 13th Amendment mean in simple terms?

Passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865, the 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States and provides that “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or …

What is the Department of Justice doing to reduce gun violence?

“The Department’s violence reduction activities seek to prevent firearms from getting into the hands of prohibited individuals, not just to prosecute individuals after they have committed a crime.” Gun-rights groups dispute the difficulty of prosecuting cases.

Why is it so hard to prosecute federal gun crimes?

Pro-gun-control experts and some former law enforcement officials say that a lack of resources combined with vague and toothless laws make federal gun prosecutions difficult.

Does a decline in crime Mean Guns can’t be made safer?

Obama did not answer that specific point of her question, making a case that a decline in violent crime rates does not mean guns can’t be made safer. He also repeatedly said that not solving all problems is not a reason not to try to solve any.

Do Gun lobbies intentionally water down laws?

And they accuse gun lobbies of intentionally watering down legislation and hamstringing agencies so the laws are useless, a point lobbyists contacted by CNN declined to address. The Department of Justice said the President is calling for more resources and that the agency uses a “smart on crime” policy.