Representative Ken Paxton Supports Second Amendment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: November 24,2009

Contacts: Sheacy Thompson (972) 562-4543

Representative Ken Paxton Signs Amicus Brief Supporting

Second Amendment Rights in Pivotal Supreme Court Case

Representative Ken Paxton joined a large bipartisan group of state legislators and other elected officials from all 50 states who have signed an amicus curiae, or "friend of the court," brief supporting the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) position that the Second Amendment must be upheld by the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. The amicus brief bears the signatures of 891 state legislators and other elected officials, including two governors and three lieutenant governors, and was filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of McDonald v. City of Chicago.

Last week, the NRA filed the brief complete with lawmakers signatures with the U.S. Supreme Court as Respondent in Support of Petitioner in the McDonald case. The NRA brief asks the Court to hold that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments through the Fourteenth Amendment.

"I was pleased to see so many state lawmakers agree that our Second Amendment freedoms should apply to all Americans. Gun owners across the country should be proud of the stand that their elected officials are taking to support this crucial effort to restore and protect the gun rights of law-abiding Americans," said Representative Paxton.

In September, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider the McDonald case, which is on appeal from the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that prior Supreme Court precedent prevented the court from applying the Second Amendment rights to the states and local governments. However, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decided in an earlier case (Nordyke v. King) that the Supreme Court precedent does not prevent the Second Amendment from applying to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause.

"I am hopeful that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule in accordance with the Constitution's true meaning, which will guarantee the rights for all law-abiding Americans to own and bear arms," concluded Representative Paxton.

Chicago has had a handgun ban and other restrictive gun laws in place for 27 years. The Supreme Court is expected to hear the McDonald case in February 2010.

Pol. Adv paid for by Ken Paxton Campaign, 5613 S. Woodcreek Circle, McKinney, Texas 75071