Hat Tip: Gateway Pundit
O’Reilly’s position is simply unconstitutional. The 2nd Amendment is THE most important amendment – without it, the others are moot.
Gateway Pundit: Bill O’Reilly interviewed Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oathkeepers, tonight. During their discussion O’Reilly supported gun confiscation during hurricanes. He told the Oathkeeper that his views on the Second Amendment were “extreme.” Bill O’Reilly stated clearly that any mayor – such as in New Orleans after Katrina – had a perfect right to confiscate guns because they had to maintain “control.”
Huh?
Last I checked, the Second Amendment doesn’t mention anything about severe storms.
Glenn Reynolds added: That’s funny. O’Reilly calls the opposing position “extreme,” but such gun confiscation is illegal under federal statute, and as a matter of constitutional law; in fact, the city of New Orleans lost a lawsuit over gun confiscation during Katrina. But then, O’Reilly’s no libertarian, to put things mildly. And he’s consistently weak on the law, also to put things mildly. Still, he should have been better briefed for this show, as he came across looking like a fool, and making his “extreme” guest look sober and well-informed by comparison.
O’Reilly has a point in that when martial law is declared, the Bill of Rights gets a time out. It may well later result in a court decision that rights were unlawfully suspended, but by then the crisis has passed. Example: in 1861 when the state of Maryland’s legislature was scheduled to meet and would almost certainly have voted to secede from the union, President Lincoln ordered federal troops to not allow the session. He also had Confederate sympathizers put in jail to muzzle their voices. Both actions were unconstitutional,
but stood for the duration of the crisis.
the next day bill read my letter as i said i have a right to defend my property he scolded me and said i was wrong that state of emergancy trumps everything i still say he is wrong if i am not waving my firearm in the public why should my gun be taken?
BOR gets on my nerves in more ways than one. I can understand his interruptions to keep people on point, but when his big mouth overrides someone’s comments just to do his version of a comedy routine, I want to change channels and often do. I agree that he’s barely on the edge of conservative, especially with his anti-Second Amendment attitude.
The main reason I watch his show is that he more often presents both the pro as well as the con points of view on a given issue.
I would agree on O’Reilly – no big fan here and he is far too lenient Constitution wise. Rhodes nails it and is spot on… You know, I bet if O’Reilly were left in New Orleans after Katrina without a way to protect himself, he’d be singing a different tune. You betcha…
Bill O’Reilly is no conservative–at best he is a centrist! Stuart Rhodes had the truly conservative and constitutionally lawful position–Stuart Rhodes position is uniquely American.