Washington, D.C., September 5, 2018 – Following comments during today’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing that assault weapons are “common” because “millions and millions” of them are owned in the United States, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence firmly called on the Senate to reject the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh. The organization lambasted the judge for his radically dangerous viewpoint on military-style weapons as being far outside of the mainstream and endangering Americans.
“Assault weapons are, indeed, in common use. They were in use in Parkland, Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs, Aurora, and so many other mass shootings that have plagued this country,” stated Kris Brown, co-president of the Brady Campaign. “It is impossible to tell if Judge Kavanaugh considers any limitation on the Second Amendment to be Constitutional, placing at risk nearly every gun safety law passed by the states and Congress to ensure that dangerous people don’t have easy access to guns and placing limits on weapons of war. There is no question at this point. The Senate must oppose Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination.”
During questioning from Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Judge Kavanaugh defended his 2011 dissentwhere he argued that DC’s assault weapon ban was unconstitutional. All four federal courts of appeal that have considered the constitutionality of assault weapon bans have upheld them, illustrating the extremity of Judge Kavanaugh’s position.
“We’re all well aware that assault weapons are prevalent in our country. That’s like saying water is wet,” added Brady co-president Avery Gardiner. “What Judge Kavanaugh doesn’t seem to understand is that assault weapons are weapons of war that have no business in places of peace. We know that Judge Kavanaugh believes assault weapon bans are unconstitutional, but we also know that they save lives. Even Justice Scalia acknowledged that the Second Amendment was not unlimited. Judge Kavanaugh has made clear today that he is a Second Amendment extremist, well outside the mainstream, and he must not be confirmed to the Supreme Court.”
More information on Judge Kavanaugh’s dangerous views on gun safety can be found here.
Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.
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