Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas reportedly went on a rant about the Second Amendment after the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to California’s 10-day waiting period for purchasing guns.
Thomas wrote in his dissent that the Court was ignoring the constitutional right to bear arms because it hadn’t heard a gun case in eight years.
“If a lower court treated another right so cavalierly, I have little doubt this court would intervene,” Clarence Thomas wrote. “But as evidenced by our continued inaction in this area, the Second Amendment is a disfavored right in this court.”
–Black Panther Obsessed? How to not get fired after seeing the Marvel movie—
“The right to keep and bear arms is apparently this court’s constitutional orphan. And the lower courts seem to have gotten the message,” he added.
A new generation takes on gun control
The position Clarence Thomas took feels particularly tone deaf in the wake of the deadly school shooting as teenagers across the country are calling on lawmakers to tackle gun reform.
On President’s Day, a group called Teens for Gun Reform had asked for 17 volunteers to lie down outside the White House for three minutes, the amount of time that Nikolas Cruz spent shooting at students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. But while they had originally asked for 17 people to represent the 17 people killed in the shooting, over a hundred people responded to the call for action.
–Sean Hannity blasted for calling Obama portraits sexually perverted—
“The two of us have organized this protest in solidarity with all of those who were affected by the tragic school shooting in Florida last week,” Eleanor Nuechterlein and Whitney Bowen, the teen organizers, said in a statement, according to CNN. “We call on our national and state legislatures to finally act responsibly and reduce the number of these tragic incidents. It’s essential that we all feel safe in our classrooms.”
“The ‘lie-in’ itself was powerful, and we are so appreciative of the protesters, friends and media who came,” Bowen said. “We hope that the coverage of today’s event will help promote much-needed change. In the end, this is only the start. We are so inspired by the brave students from Parkland in the wake of this atrocity, and hope that legislators will begin to hear and act upon the voices of our generation.”
The Women’s March EMPOWER branch has called for “students, teachers, school administrators, parents and allies” to take part in a walkout on March 14. Those participating are encouraged to walk out of their classrooms at 10 a.m. for 17 minutes (one minute for each life lost in the massacre), according to NBC News.
The walkout, according to the branch, will “protest Congress’ inaction to do more than tweet thoughts and prayers in response to the gun violence plaguing our schools and neighborhoods.”
Ten days later, on March 24, students from Parkland, Florida, where the shooting occurred, are planning their own “March for Our Lives” rally in Washington, D.C.
The protest, according to its mission statement, will “demand that a comprehensive and effective bill be immediately brought before Congress to address these gun issues.”
“No special interest group, no political agenda is more critical than timely passage of legislation to effectively address the gun violence issues that are rampant in our country,” said the group.
Celebrities support student efforts
Oprah Winfrey and other stars are stepping up in the wake of the deadly school shooting in Florida.
The media mogul is following George and Amal Clooney’s lead and matching their $500,000 donation to March For Our Lives. The event was created in the aftermath of the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida where 17 students and teachers were gunned down.
–Trump blasts Oprah and says he would defeat her in 2020 election run–
“George and Amal, I couldn’t agree with you more,” Winfrey tweeted, in reference to the statement made by the couple announcing their donation to the movement. “I am joining forces with you and will match your $500,000 donation to March For Our Lives. These inspiring young people remind me of the Freedom Riders of the 60s who also said we’ve had ENOUGH and our voices will be heard.”
Tuesday George and Amal Clooney stated they would make their donation in the name of their young twins, Ella and Alexander. They have also pledged to attend the event.
Jeffrey Katzenberg and his wife Marilyn have also announced a $500,000 donation to March For Our Lives.
The shooter’s fate
According to both the Associated Press and ABC News, Nikolas Cruz was part of a group called the Republic of Florida, which wants to create a white-only state in Florida.
Jordan Jereb, the leader of the group, told the AP that Cruz “acted on his own behalf of what he just did and he’s solely responsible for what he just did.”
Jereb also said that while Cruz was a part of the group, he did not know him personally.
The group describes itself as a “white civil rights organization fighting for white identitarian politics” and holds paramilitary drills, which Cruz attended in Tallahassee.
Cruz was also an active part of a chat group rife with racist messages targeting Black people, Mexicans and Jews.
In the private Instagram chat group, named”Murica (American flag emoji) (eagle emoji) great” by Cruz, CNN reports that Cruz talked about killing blacks by cutting their necks, keeping blacks in chains and killing Mexicans.
According to NBC News, Cruz has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder and is looking to plead guilty in exchange for a sentence of life without parole.
