Republicans Remain Nervous About Sotomayor and Gun Rights

[Rebel]

Second Amendment rights remain high on the list of issues Republicans are still nervous about when it comes to Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. But no matter how they try to over-simplify the still-undecided question of whether the Constitution actually grants individual citizens a fundamental right to bear arms, Sotomayor has, as expected, stood firm in not answering the question.

Since the high court struck down a Washington, D.C., law outlawing the possession of nunchucks in the district and finding a fundamental right to bear arms, Republicans have been hopeful that the Court will take the next step and say that right applies to the states as well, and would therefore serve to severely restrict states’ rights to restrict gun possession and ownership. But it’s never answered that question — at least, not yet.

Here’s how Republican Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), an avid believer in his fundamental right to gun possession, tried to get Sotomayor to answer the question, and in the process revealing that much of this questioning is aimed at the senators’ constituents, not at any real fact-finding:

“Do I have a right to personal self defense?” asked Coburn.

Sotomayor struggled to think of whether the Supreme Court has addressed the question in that way in any case. “I can’t think of one. The issue of self defense is usually defined in criminal statutes by the states laws.”

“But do I personally have an individual right to self defense?” Coburn persisted, knowing full well that any right of self-defense depends on the circumstances and how you try to exercise that right.

“That’s an abstract question and not a particular legal question,” said Sotomayor, always careful to respond with legalistic precision.

“Well, that ‘s what the American people want to hear,” Coburn said. “Is it okay to defend yourself in your home when you’re under attack. The general theory is, do I have that right? I understand if you don’t want to answer,” he said, letting Sotomayor off the hook, implicitly acknowledging he didn’t really expect her to answer it. “That’s a fine answer with me.  But that’s what people want to know. Do we have that right?”

Sotomayor proceeded to answer with a hypothetical situation that if Coburn were to threaten her right then and there, and she ran home and got a gun and came back and shot him, she probably would not have the right to do that.

http://washingtonindependent.com/51081/republicans-remain-nervous-about-sotomayor-and-gun-rights

[DumbAss Tanker]

Remains to be seen if any more than three or four of them are 'Nervous' enough to muster the balls to vote against her.

[Chris_]

Remains to be seen if any more than three or four of them are 'Nervous' enough to muster the balls to vote against her.

They seem to have rather short memories of all of the feces that the Dem's flung during the hearings over Alito and Roberts.

Perhaps that is why we stopped contributing to the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee........

doc

[DumbAss Tanker]

I can't argue with you there, sometimes I think "GOP" stands for "Gutless Old Pantywaists."  With the memory of a late-stage Alzheimer's patient, and a beaten-spouse syndrome relationship to the Dems.

[Tess Anderson]

So these hearings continue . . . more of Sotomayor trying to pretend she's a conservative and that she never realized what her radical pro-Hispanic interest groups really stood for.

I'm sure she's a gun-grabber. Actually, Pansy Graham was pretty rough on her yesterday. Any Republican that ends up voting to confirm this woman automatically qualifies for the RINO list.

[Eupher]

So these hearings continue . . . more of Sotomayor trying to pretend she's a conservative and that she never realized what her radical pro-Hispanic interest groups really stood for.

I'm sure she's a gun-grabber. Actually, Pansy Graham was pretty rough on her yesterday. Any Republican that ends up voting to confirm this woman automatically qualifies for the RINO list.

Bingo.      For the simple fact that said RINO is unwilling to make a stand against this liberal judge who legislates from the bench.

[Airwolf]

I have never heard a person say so much and it meant so little afterwards. All she is doing is playing semantics to cover her fat ass because she knows shes getting in and doesn't want anyone to raise a fuss over it. She is deliberately being obtuse in her answers to the committee.