CONSTITUTIONAL INTERPRETATIONS

The Right to Keep and Bear Arms

July 24, 2026

RE: Semi-Automatic Rifles and the 2d Amendment

The State of Connecticut and Cook County, Illinois have enacted laws that basically ban the private possession of semi-automatic rifles capable of firing multiple rounds without rearming or reloading. The United States Supreme Court has now agreed to decide whether those laws violate the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.[1] The Second Amendment provides… Continue reading

Constitutional Law

Semi-automatic rifles, The Right to Keep and Bear Arms
January 9, 2026

RE: THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS SECRETLY

Three and a half years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution protected the right of nearly every American citizen to publicly carry a handgun outside the home for the purpose of “self-defense.”[1] This “right” is often called the right “to public carry.”[2] The Court now has a… Continue reading

Constitutional Law

The Right to Carry Concealed Weapons, The Right to Keep and Bear Arms

ABOUT THIS SITE

In the case of Marbury v. Madison, Vol.5 U.S. Reports, p.137 (1803), the United States Supreme Court ruled that “a law repugnant to the constitution is void.” 5 U.S. at p.180. The Court based that ruling on arguments made by one of the original Constitution’s draftsmen, Alexander Hamilton, in Federalist Paper No.78 (published in 1788). Hamilton argued that the document he was then promoting to become the federal “Constitution” would require the “courts” . . . “to declare all acts contrary to the manifest tenor of the Constitution void.” In other words, Hamilton, and later the Supreme Court argued that whenever the text or the purpose of an ordinary statute irreconcilably contradicts the text or opposes the clear purpose of the Constitution, the Constitution must prevail and the subordinate statute must be declared void. Today, the Supreme Court no longer follows these original standards for the judicial review of the validity of statutory enactments. At this site, I offer my understanding of how they should apply to modern issues of Constitutional Law. Supporting and opposing comments are welcome here, as long as they are relevant and civil.

Dan D. Rhea

The Right to Keep and Bear Arms

RE: Semi-Automatic Rifles and the 2d Amendment

RE: THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS SECRETLY