"President of the United States Senate, Richard B. Cheney" Joins Congress In Opposing D.C. Gun Ban

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Cheney Joins Congress In Opposing D.C. Gun Ban
Vice President Breaks With Administration

By Robert Barnes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, February 9, 2008; Page A01



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/08/AR2008020803802.html?nav=rss_email/components

Vice President Cheney signed on to a brief filed by a majority of Congress yesterday that urged the Supreme Court to uphold a ruling that the District of Columbia's handgun ban is unconstitutional, breaking with his own administration's official position.

Cheney joined 55 senators and 250 House members in asking the court to find that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to possess firearms and to uphold a lower court's ruling that the D.C. ban violates that right. That position is at odds with the one put forward by the administration, which angered gun rights advocates when it suggested that the justices return the case to lower courts for further review.

In order to make his dramatic break with the administration, Cheney invoked his rarely used status as part of Congress, joining the brief as "President of the United States Senate, Richard B. Cheney." It is a position he has used at times to make the point that he is sometimes part of the legislative branch and sometimes part of the executive.

"That is one of his titles," Cheney press secretary Megan Mitchell said when asked whether it was significant that he had joined the brief in that capacity rather than as vice president.

[sakabatou]

1. "Now this gun, sir, is great for shooting peoples' faces with."

[Aristus]

8. LOL!

:rofl:

No, I really did! B-)

[fenriswolf]

2. cheney then said

"what? I just like being called the president"

[baldguy]

3. Do you know why DC is so fucked up?

Its a city full of African Americans which is ruled by people who hate cities & African Americans.

[EFerrari]

4. You really can't make this stuff up!

lol

[Plague]

5. I don't know...

...if the pro-gun people want to be backed by someone that has demonstrated that he has no idea what proper firearm safety is.

[jmg257]

7. We'll take what we can get if it means the USSC will finally articulate support of the constitution.

[jmg257]

6. FINALLY he does something right - does SOMETHING keeping w/the Constitution to secure our rights!

[Dimensio0]

9. Before anyone snarks about pro-gun people being on Cheney's side...

...keep in mind that anti-gun people are on the Bush administration's side. Bush's Justice Department field a brief in SUPPORT of DC's gun ban. Given that one of the other times that Cheney distanced himself from Bush was when he stated that he was not in favour of a "federal marriage amendment", I'm not sure I have a problem taking Cheney's position on this one over Bush's.

I've already heard taunts about people who support the right to keep and bear arms having Cheney on their side as though it's a bad thing (which, in many circumstances, it would be, but not this one), while those taunters totally ignore that they are standing firmly in line with George W. Bush.