William Van Alstyne Quote

“The difference between [people who take civil liberties seriously] and others ... is that such serious people begin with a constitutional understanding that declines to trivialize the Second Amendment or the Fourteenth Amendment, just as they likewise decline to trivialize any other right expressly identified elsewhere in the Bill of Rights. It is difficult to see why they are less than entirely right in this unremarkable view. That it has taken the NRA to speak for them, with respect to the Second Amendment, moreover, is merely interesting -- perhaps far more as a comment on others, however, than on the NRA.”

~ William Van Alstyne

The Second Amendment and the Personal Right to Arms, 43 DUKE L. J. 1236, 1254 (1994)

Ratings and Comments


Jimi Bigbear, Libertyville, IA

this guy is a scholar of the CONstitution?!?! Anyone who knows anything about the 14th Amendment knows that it made slaves of all of us and gave the non-breathers - corporations - human rights! The 14th - shoved down the Southern States' throats with a bayonet, transformed DC (District of Corruption) into Oz on the Potomac - the great and powerful, superior to the States and the People that it is supposed to serve.

Durham Ellis, Birmingham, AL

My statement is better:

There were 26 children and DISARMED adult victims murdered by a crazy man in Newtown, Connecticut. There were about 56 million children and DISARMED adult victims murdered by crazy governments during the Twentieth Century. Those who DISARMED those victims are accessories to murder and need to be held accountable.

Mike, Norwalk

Jimi Bigbear, good to see you again. You need to pop in more often. Though on rare occasion I don't agree with you (-; seeming to be a little more out spoken than me ;-), I always enjoy your comments. I do agree here. Durham Ellis, exactly !, yes !

watchman13, USA

Well said Jimi !!

E Archer, NYC

I agree the 14th Amendment being included in this argument weakens its point. The Bill of Rights was to clarify the limits of the powers of the State -- the Constitution was a rule book for the government. The Amendments after the Civil War took on a declaratory tone in which the Constitution became a rule book for the People. None of it is trivial, and should remain ever reviewed.

Jim Bee, New york

Kudos Ed, you're spot on. As expected!

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