I wrote briefly about the Congressional amicus curiae brief [pdf] in support of the petitioners in McDonald v. Chicago when it was submitted. We saw a great deal of support from both sides of the political spectrum, but one signature was notable for its glaring omission: Ron Paul.
I’d been wondering about that, and Howard Nemerov was able to get a statement from Dr. Paul’s office:
Congressman Paul’s DC office said he didn’t sign the brief because he believes that it interferes with state’s rights, whose policies shouldn’t be dictated by the federal government.
Let’s get a few things straight here, people. First off, states do not have rights. Like any other government, they have powers that are delegated to them by the people. Only people have rights.
Second, the 14th Amendment does not conflict with the 10th, and in no way does it interfere with the agendas of individual state governments.