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Rupp v. Becerra - CA judge upholds semi auto ban, not protected under 2A


steveTA84

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I cannot discuss that which I have not analyzed. All I have read so far is the 23 page order for summary judgement, from which one can infer some of what is in the record, but certainly not all. I could quote more from it, such as:

 

More fundamentally, Plaintiffs argue that California is “depriving the public of more accurate rifles that are easier to control.” (See, e.g.,Plaintiffs’ Opp. at 15.) Plaintiffs miss the point. More fundamentally, Plaintiffs argue that California is “depriving the public of more accurate rifles that are easier to control.” (See, e.g.,Plaintiffs’ Opp. at 15.) Plaintiffs miss the point. As discussed throughout, that the rifles are more accurate and easier to control is precisely why California has chosen to ban them.

 

Here's the judge also admonishing the plaintiffs again that they "miss the point" when claiming that cosmetic features are technically meaningless:

 

Plaintiffs miss the point—the enumerated features increase the capabilities of semiautomatic rifles and thereby enhance their capacity for mass violence. [ ... ] The Attorney General’s expert notes that “[a]djustable stocks also contribute to the control of the rifle in that they allow the shooter to optimize the rifle to their arm length.” (See Mersereau Report ¶ 10, Ex. 3 to Chang Decl., Doc. 76-3.) “This increases the shooter’s ability to rapidly send rounds down range with increased accuracy.”

 

However, I strongly suggest reading it, it's just 23 pages, and reads as a paean to the efficacy of banning semi-automatic rifles. The judge uncritically accepts and quotes liberally from amicus briefs from Everytown, and gives great weight to the arguments and briefs of the defendants, while largely summarily dismissing all arguments made by the plaintiffs. Again, this is clearly a decision written by a judge pre-disposed to accept essentially any argument supporting a blanket ban on semi-automatic "assault" rifles, and likewise pre-disposed to dismiss any arguments, regardless of efficacy, against such a ban.

 

If you go to https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/6540708/steven-rupp-v-xavier-becerra/ you can obtain a limited number of other documents. Importantly, you can read the 3rd amended complaint, and the defendant argument for summary judgement -- neither of which I have had time to read yet.

 

Sailor, thank you very much for the response. Didn't really mean to put you on the spot, but you clearly have a much greater comprehension of the legal jargon than most here, so your interpretation is very much valued. Thank you for what you have shared.

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So, this is now headed up to the full Ninth, and I can't imagine that it won't end up headed for the Supreme Court after that.

 

I always thought that the Miller decision, with the "useful for military purposes" was what the Gub'mint used to deny unusual weapons. There REALLY needs to be a squaring that the Second Amendment means that the people are the militia, who need weapons suitable and commensurate with the standing military, for purposes of self-defense and security against both individual attackers and threats to the Constitution, the country, and civil rights.

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I wouldn't COMPLETELY discount the possibility of CA9 reversing this judge. There's a few more conservative judges on the court now and they've been making waves. District judge originally found in favor of PP in re Trump order stripping PP of funds. Reversed 2-1 by panel, affirmed 7-4 by en banc panel. It really depends on who's on the original panel because they're automatically on the en banc panel and so are their original votes. That being said, I don't expect CA9 to allow this to be reversed. There's ample evidence of CA9 cherry picking panels. Don't know if that practice has been reigned in. Certain judges would hear certain "types" of cases i.e. gay marriage.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

So, this is now headed up to the full Ninth, and I can't imagine that it won't end up headed for the Supreme Court after that.

 

I always thought that the Miller decision, with the "useful for military purposes" was what the Gub'mint used to deny unusual weapons. There REALLY needs to be a squaring that the Second Amendment means that the people are the militia, who need weapons suitable and commensurate with the standing military, for purposes of self-defense and security against both individual attackers and threats to the Constitution, the country, and civil rights.

 

The Miller decision, consistent with several 19th-century decisions, held that only weapons of war are protected by the Second Amendment. For example, firearms which are easily and ordinarily carried concealed (e.g., the sawed-off shotgun in Miller) "are not borne as arms" and therefore are not protected by the Second Amendment.

 

The Heller decision changed all of that. Heller said that the only thing that Miller stands for is that some (unspecified arms) are not protected by the Second Amendment.

 

Justice Alito (who wrote the McDonald decision) is not a fan of sawed-off shotguns because,

 

"As we recognized in District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U. S. 570, 625 (2008), sawed-off shotguns are “not typically possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes.” Instead, they are uniquely attractive to violent criminals. Much easier to conceal than long-barreled shotguns used for hunting and other lawful purposes, short-barreled shotguns can be hidden under a coat, tucked into a bag, or stowed under a car seat. And like a handgun, they can be fired with one hand—except to more lethal effect. These weapons thus combine the deadly characteristics of conventional shotguns with the more convenient handling of handguns. Unlike those common firearms, however, they are not typically possessed for lawful purposes. And when a person illegally possesses a sawed-off shotgun during the commission of a crime, the risk of violence is seriously increased. The ordinary case of unlawful possession of a sawed-off shotgun therefore “presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another.” Johnson v. United States (2015) Justice Alito, dissenting.

 

Which kind of explains why Justice Alito has never written, or joined, in a dissent to a denial of cert in a 2A case.

 

On the plus side, Justice Kavanaugh wrote a dissent (Heller II) which argued that semi-automatic rifles, including those labeled as "assault rifles" are arms protected by the Second Amendment. This improves the chances of SCOTUS taking up an "assault rifle" case unless the petitioner does something stupid such as arguing that the Heller decision said that machine-guns are arms protected by the Second Amendment.

 

In my book they are, and according to Justice Scalia (who wrote the Heller decision), SCOTUS hasn't answered that question. But I am not a Supreme Court justice.and Justice Kavanaugh is. He has read the Heller decision to say that machine-guns can be banned.

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So, this is now headed up to the full Ninth, and I can't imagine that it won't end up headed for the Supreme Court after that.

 

I always thought that the Miller decision, with the "useful for military purposes" was what the Gub'mint used to deny unusual weapons. There REALLY needs to be a squaring that the Second Amendment means that the people are the militia, who need weapons suitable and commensurate with the standing military, for purposes of self-defense and security against both individual attackers and threats to the Constitution, the country, and civil rights.

 

The Miller decision, consistent with several 19th-century decisions, held that only weapons of war are protected by the Second Amendment. For example, firearms which are easily and ordinarily carried concealed (e.g., the sawed-off shotgun in Miller) "are not borne as arms" and therefore are not protected by the Second Amendment.

 

The Heller decision changed all of that. Heller said that the only thing that Miller stands for is that some (unspecified arms) are not protected by the Second Amendment.

 

Justice Alito (who wrote the McDonald decision) is not a fan of sawed-off shotguns because,

 

"As we recognized in District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U. S. 570, 625 (2008), sawed-off shotguns are “not typically possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes.” Instead, they are uniquely attractive to violent criminals. Much easier to conceal than long-barreled shotguns used for hunting and other lawful purposes, short-barreled shotguns can be hidden under a coat, tucked into a bag, or stowed under a car seat. And like a handgun, they can be fired with one hand—except to more lethal effect. These weapons thus combine the deadly characteristics of conventional shotguns with the more convenient handling of handguns. Unlike those common firearms, however, they are not typically possessed for lawful purposes. And when a person illegally possesses a sawed-off shotgun during the commission of a crime, the risk of violence is seriously increased. The ordinary case of unlawful possession of a sawed-off shotgun therefore “presents a serious potential risk of physical injury to another.” Johnson v. United States (2015) Justice Alito, dissenting.

 

Which kind of explains why Justice Alito has never written, or joined, in a dissent to a denial of cert in a 2A case.

 

On the plus side, Justice Kavanaugh wrote a dissent (Heller II) which argued that semi-automatic rifles, including those labeled as "assault rifles" are arms protected by the Second Amendment. This improves the chances of SCOTUS taking up an "assault rifle" case unless the petitioner does something stupid such as arguing that the Heller decision said that machine-guns are arms protected by the Second Amendment.

 

In my book they are, and according to Justice Scalia (who wrote the Heller decision), SCOTUS hasn't answered that question. But I am not a Supreme Court justice.and Justice Kavanaugh is. He has read the Heller decision to say that machine-guns can be banned.

 

 

That about sums up what I understand about the situation.

 

However, considering that the Founding Fathers wanted the People to have the equivalent of whatever weapons the government had, weapons of war including machine guns or whatever arms the government has, need to be finally written as allowable to the People, who are the "well-regulated Militia."

 

This does need to stop there.

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