If you live in Alabama and your voting on Nov 4th or even if your not voting, SHARE THE CRAP OUT OF THIS. The state is trying to take our gun rights away. Please read all of it. THIS IS SERIOUS!!! LISTEN UP FELLOW ALABAMIANS!!!!!! A LIFE CHANGING DECISION IS BEFORE US. Its name is AMENDMENT 3 and it will be on the ballot Nov 4. It will be painted in a very favorable light as expanding gun rights in AL but this is not true. The authors of this amendment know full well most of the citizens will not research this for themselves so Ive done it for you. Here it is in simple terms. In its present form, the AL constitution of 1901 states in ARTICLE 1 (ALs BILL OF RIGHTS) SECTION 26 Right to bear arms. That every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state. This is ALs SECOND AMENDMENT just like in the US constitution. Article 1, SECTION 1-35 is followed by this. SECTION 36 Construction of Declaration of Rights That this enumeration of certain rights shall not impair or deny others retained by the people; and, to guard against any encroachments on the rights herein retained, we declare that everything in this Declaration of Rights is excepted out of the general powers of government, and shall forever remain inviolate. This means that, according to our current Constitution, our state legislature cannot make laws that, in any way, restrict the right of the citizens of AL to keep and bear (carry) arms because the right to bear arms is a subject where any encroachment is excepted out of the general powers of government. While we all know the legislature has done this many times, none of these illegal laws have ever been challenged at the supreme court level on the basis that they are unconstitutional per Article 1 SEC 26 and 36. In other words our State Supreme Court has not had an opportunity to strike these laws down. Therefore they still stand...for now. Currently ARTICLE 1 SEC 26 and 36 leave no possible way to constitutionally make a restrictive gun law. Amend 3, that will be on the ballot Nov 4, states that it would provide that every citizen has a fundamental right to bear arms and that ANY RESTRICTION ON THIS RIGHT WOULD BE SUBJECT TO STRICT SCRUTINY. The part in all caps is the most dangerous as it provides for a way to legally have a restriction on our right to bear arms under the constitution whereas thats not possible according to our current constitution. It says any restriction as if there can be a restriction and such restriction must only pass strict scrutiny. Well guess who decides whether it passes or not. Thats right, the state government not the people. This amendment is VERY BAD!!! DO NOT vote for it!!! It removes a firewall weve had for many decades and opens the door for more restrictions than we already have with no way to get rid of them if they pass strict scrutiny. VOTE NO on AMEND 3.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 20:48:25 +0000