Ninth Circuit Gets It Right on Carrying Guns in Public [OPINION]

Did you hear the one about the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Second Amendment? No, seriously. The liberal Ninth=h Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld your right to carry a gun in public.

Oh, look! Pigs are flying!

The court ruled in the case of a Hawaiian man who was twice denied a permit to carry in public. A three-judge panel consisting of two judges appointed by Republican presidents overturned a lower court's decision. Judge Diarmuid O’Scannlain wrote for the majority “for better or for worse, the Second Amendment does protect a right to carry a firearm in public for self-defense.”

Fox News reports, "It’s the second time this month that the three-judge panel issued a pro-Second Amendment decision, after backing a lower court’s decision last week to suspend California’s ban on the possession of large magazines."

While officials in Hawaii say they will weigh their options in appealing the Ninth Circuit's decision, it is almost certain the matter will go before the U.S. Supreme Court at some point.

The Second Amendment is fairly clear on the question of carrying a weapon in public:

“A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

The ruling is a setback for gun control activists, who have been hoping for help from the bench to further regulate gun ownership in the wake of horrific school shooting incidents.

At a time when the judicial system seems to be so deeply tainted by ideology, the Ninth Circuit got it right. Much has been said about the need to restrict gun ownership, but the Second Amendment is the law of the land. Any effort to radically change the law as written would require a change to the Constitution, a process that is long and complicated, and for good reason.

We'll get Fox News Channel's Judge Jeanine Pirro's take when she appears on the program on Wednesday. Download the WBSM App for free to listen from anywhere.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.