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Former Supreme Court Justice calls for repeal of the Second Amendment

Posted at 6:30 PM, Apr 01, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-02 13:29:02-04

DENVER -- He could be trying to repeal the Second Amendment or he could just be trying to show an extreme solution so that moderate ideas seem more acceptable.

In an essay on the New York Times website, retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens called for the repeal of the Second Amendment last week to allow for the passage of significant gun control legislation.

“He’s got to realize how monumental a task that would be,” Dr. Seth Masket told Anne Trujillo on this weekend’s Politics Unplugged.  “That would be a great challenge.  It’s hard to imagine that occurring.”

Masket is the director of the Center on American Politics at the University of Denver.  He says for the Second Amendment to be repealed or changed it would require approval of two-thirds of both the U.S. House and Senate as well as ratification by three-quarters of all the state legislatures.

“Considering widespread support for handgun ownership and you’re going to have to get three quarters of all the states to sign off on that, it’s hard to imagine that occurring any time soon,” Masket said.

Unlike other shootings where the nation’s attention has quickly turned to other topics, Masket says the Parkland shooting has been different and may eventually lead to changes in gun laws or school safety.

“I’d say the chances for some sort of serious reform either at the federal level or at the level of various states is much more possible now than anything we’ve seen in recent years,” he said.

Politics Unplugged airs Sundays at 4:30am & 4pm on Denver.