The President responds to the public petition to deport British citizen Piers Morgan for his outspokenness on gun control. The petition was sponsored by conservative talk radio host Alex Jones in favor of the 2nd Amendment.
From Jay Carney
Thank you for participating in We the People to speak out on an issue that matters to you.
Let’s not let arguments over the Constitution’s Second Amendment violate the spirit of its First. President Obama believes that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. However, the Constitution not only guarantees an individual right to bear arms, but also enshrines the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press — fundamental principles that are essential to our democracy. Americans may disagree on matters of public policy and express those disagreements vigorously, but no one should be punished by the government simply because he or she expressed a view on the Second Amendment — or any other matter of public concern.
We recognize that the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, sparked an intense, and at times emotional, national conversation about the steps we can take as a country to reduce gun violence. In fact, your petition is one of many on the issue, and President Obama personally responded by sharing his views on this important issue.
104,000 people apparently don’t believe in free speech and want to use their government to punish someone with whom they do not agree. So much for keeping government off people’s backs. It very much seems to be a one way street. The very people who don’t trust the government certainly don’t hesitate to call upon it to do their dirty work.
Meh. He wasn’t going to be deported. We can’t even deport the people here illegally. Besides, England doesn’t want him back.
Why would you ay England doesn’t want him back?
Of course he wasn’t really going to be deported. I don’t think that is the point.
What I think is significant is there are so many people perfectly happy to violate 1A in order to”protect” 2A.
I am continually repulsed by this notion that there are simply no limits on 2A. That is going to come to a screeching halt, I suspect.
Where are the mental health serviced for this poor man Alex Jones, he is simply unhinged.
What part of his address does not make sense? President Obama sounds fair calm and reasonable!
@Moon-howler
It was a joke. There was a petition for us to keep him. Some English celebrities, like Jeremy Clarkson, was pushing it. Morgan’s rep over there is not…sterling, as he is linked to a couple of scandals about..wiretapping or something.
Personally, I think he’s the perfect face for his network.
Which is your network of choice? Who is its face?
@Cargo
“I am continually repulsed by this notion that there are simply no limits on 2A.”
Um…there are huge limits on 2A.
Define huge.
Perhaps I misspoke in saying ‘no limits.’ Of coure there are limits. The three that come to my mind would be taking a gun on a plane or school property or any property where the owner says no.
There are darn few in the grand scheme of things.
The laws of Illinois, DC, California, and New York. Limitations on when, where, and if you can carry. Limitations and control of who can buy, sell, or trade and procedures for such. Limitations on what you can own. The fact that SCOTUS finally admitted that the 2nd Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear firearms, just in the last couple of years. The control by the whims of the ATF in determining gun regulations and FFL regulations.
An xcellent response by Mr Carney. Gun worshippers want to silence their opponents.
Yes they do want to silence their opponents and we are not going to let that happen.
I have always been a supporter of gun rights…to a point. Its time to start defining that point.
@Moon-howler
We want to defeat our opponents. If they go silent as a result of the defeat of their agenda, so be it. Of course, they won’t ever go silent. Free speech is a right. And we use that right to convince others that we are the ones in the right.