daily caller
Thomas Phippen
11:18 AM 06/26/2017
[excerpt]
http://dailycaller.com/2017/06/26/justice-thomas-calls-out-the-supreme-court-for-not-believing-in-the-second-amendment/Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had stern words for his colleagues when the Court declined to hear a case challenging California’s handgun laws, saying that the jurists do not understand the importance of self-defense.
The case, supported by the National Rifle Association, involves San Diego resident Edward Peruta, who challenged his county’s refusal to grant him permission to carry a concealed firearm outside of his home.
“For those of us who work in marbled halls, guarded constantly by a vigilant and dedicated police force, the guarantees of the Second Amendment might seem antiquated and superfluous,” Thomas wrote after most members of the court declined to hear the California case.
“But the Framers made a clear choice: They reserved to all Americans the right to bear arms for self-defense. I do not think we should stand by idly while a State denies its citizens that right, particularly when their very lives may depend on it,” Thomas said.
Justice Neil Gorsuch, the Court’s newest member, joined Thomas’ statement on the court’s refusal to hear the case, calling the decision by the 9th circuit on Peruta v. San Diego “indefensible.”