The Trump administration’s views on the Second Amendment right to gun ownership have always been sketchy, especially after the president claimed a Minneapolis protester killed by federal agents shouldn’t have been carrying a gun. But the administration’s case before the Supreme Court is particularly troubling, as it could create a path that will make it easier for police agencies to strip Americans of their gun rights.
The case involves a man the administration is charging “with violating a federal gun law that bars people with drug addiction from possession of firearms, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison,” according to NPR. The drug at issue is marijuana. The administration says its use is sufficient reason to ban a person from gun ownership.
That should be troubling to any gun-rights supporter given that marijuana is legal for recreational uses in 24 states and for medical uses in 40. Even occasional use would subject people to a potential loss of their Second Amendment rights. One need not be a fan of marijuana to realize the dangers of stripping constitutional rights from Americans for imbibing legal products.
The obvious parallel is alcohol. There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence and studies showing that gun ownership and drunkenness can be a dangerous cocktail. The nation already has a way of dealing with such matters: Violators can be arrested for negligence and other crimes for misusing weapons while intoxicated.
But no gun-rights supporter would want Americans banned from firearms ownership because they drank some whiskey while their guns were safely locked up. That’s why gun-rights groups have joined civil-liberties groups in opposing the administration’s position. Based on oral arguments, high-court justices seem skeptical, too.
MAGA drug-warriors who scoff at the alcohol comparison should listen to the administration’s own arguments. Per NPR, Trump’s solicitor general “points to the harsh punishments imposed during the founding era on ‘habitual drunkards.’” Savvy gun-banners should take heed. If Trump wins, the government could have precedent to ban gun ownership from 54% of American adults who drink alcoholic beverages. That’s a dangerous place to go.