The Tennessee Firearms Association joined in an amicus brief filed
with the United States Supreme Court on May 14, 2019, arguing that New
York’s and other laws which regulate transportation of firearms violate
the prohibitions imposed by the 2nd Amendment. The case is already
before the United States Supreme Court under the style of
New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, Inc., et al. v. City of New York, et al,
docket number 18-280. TFA joined in with Gun Owners of America, Inc.,
Gun Owners Foundation, The Heller Foundation, Conservative Legal Defense
and Education Fund and Restoring Liberty Action Committee in the
filing.
The argument in the amicus filing is summarized as follows:
The right protected by the Second
Amendment is of the highest order. It was born out of the lessons of a
struggle for Independence, and the hard lessons learned that individual
citizens faces threats from many sources, including fellow citizens,
foreign powers, and potentially even their own government. Both Heller and McDonald
identify the right as “preexisting” the Constitution. Indeed, the right
to self defense is not one given us by government, but by God. As such,
it is an unalienable right, as described in the Declaration of
Independence. It can neither be yielded up by the People, nor
compromised by the Government.
Although often overlooked, the
preamble to the Second Amendment reveals the Framers’ views that the
right protected was deemed to be “necessary to the security of a free
State.” The Framers understood that, to preserve the nation’s security
and each individual’s freedom, the people must be armed. Lastly, the
notion that no constitutional rights are absolute must be recognized to
be false. Each right, as its scope is properly understood by “text,
history, and tradition,” must be considered to be absolute, or it will
be compromised incrementally and eventually disappear entirely.
John Harris, Executive Director of the Tennessee Firearms Association and its counsel in the case, stated "TFA increasingly recognizes the necessity
of engaging the battle in the courts for the full restoration of those
rights protected by the 2nd Amendment because, unfortunately, governors,
state legislators, federal legislators, and local government officials
have proven that they do not feel limited by the phrase “shall not be
infringed.”"
About the
Tennessee Firearms Association. The TFA is a nonprofit Tennessee corporation that is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(4) issue advocacy group. TFA's focus is on issues that relate the rights and interests of Tennesseans under the 2nd Amendment as well as related interests in hunting, sport shooting, collecting and state sovereignty. TFA has been repeatedly
recognized by the Tennessee Legislature for its dedication to protecting the rights and interests of Tennesseans.
