Upon listening to the arguments presented on the floor of the Senate today regarding pending gun control legislation, I was drawn to comments made the by both Senator Durbin and Senator Cardin, who each made it a point to quote Justice Scalia's words regarding the Supreme Court's recent "Heller" decision. Each Senator specifically referenced Scalia's comments that the Second Amendment right is not absolute, and that "conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms" is presumptively lawful. This quote was used by both Senators Durbin and Cardin as justification for supporting legislation requiring Universal Background Checks.
However, it should be noted that Justice Scalia intentionally inserted the word "commercial" before the phrase "sale of arms". In the very same paragraph that Scalia stated that the Second Amendment is not absolute, he stopped short of accepting that conditions and qualifications are presumptively lawful regarding the private sale of arms. This language is not unimportant. If it were, there would be no need to specify "commercial" sales in his comments. Rather, this can only be seen as a specific exclusion, a sharp demarcation of the power of the federal government to regulate private transactions of lawfully possessed goods.
Senator, as a law abiding citizen, I respect the decision of the court, and I urge you to do so as well.
You must protect the rights of your constituents, and the rights of all the citizens of this great nation. You must oppose any legislation that specifically imposes conditions and limitations on private transactions. You must oppose Universal Background Checks.