Fairfax, Va. -- An overwhelming, bipartisan majority of attorneys general have signed an amicus curiae, or "friend of the court," brief supporting the NRA's position that the Second Amendment is incorporated against the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. The amicus brief, prepared by the office of Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and bearing the signatures of attorneys general from 38 states, was filed with the U.S. Supreme Court today in the case of McDonald v. City of Chicago.
Last week, the NRA filed its brief with the 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.
"We are pleased that more than 75 percent of America's state attorneys general have joined this historic effort in support of our Second Amendment freedoms. The NRA and gun owners everywhere are grateful for their participation in ensuring that the Second Amendment applies across the nation, not just in federal enclaves," said Chris W. Cox, NRA chief lobbyist. "I would especially like to acknowledge the outstanding work of Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott in authoring this historic amicus brief, as well Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray, Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel and Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker for their leadership in this important effort."
In September, the Court agreed to consider the McDonald case, on appeal from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. That court incorrectly claimed that prior Supreme Court precedent prevented it from holding in favor of incorporation of the Second Amendment. The NRA believes the Seventh Circuit should have followed the lead of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision in Nordyke v. King, which found that Supreme Court precedent does not prevent the Second Amendment from applying to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause. As a party in McDonald, the NRA is actively involved in this case and believes the NRA brief makes a clear and strong case in favor of incorporation of the Second Amendment.
Cox concluded, "We sincerely hope the Supreme Court will agree with the framers of the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment by holding that the Second Amendment applies to all law-abiding Americans, no matter what city or state they call home."
Chicago has had a handgun ban and other restrictive gun laws in place for 27 years. Oral argument is scheduled for March 2, 2010.
To read the amicus brief, click here.
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Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America's oldest civil rights and sportsmen's group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation's leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military.
