Quickly backed by the National Rifle Association, President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch is also getting applause from San Diego gun owners who want California’s six tough new gun laws to be challenged in the High Court.
At a shooting range in San Diego’s East County, a half-dozen gun enthusiasts said Gorsuch had given them hope amid what has been a losing gun battle.
“I’m hoping we get some of these laws changed in the state of California,” said Steve Bagdasar, taking aim with his rifle at orange fluorescent skeet against the dirt-covered hillside. "Something's got to be done. The laws are ridiculous."
The laws, which took effect at the start of the year, include a ban on some semiautomatic rifles and background checks for purchasing ammunition. The new restrictions bolster the state’s position of having the toughest gun controls in the nation.
Bagdasar, who uses his AR-15 for pig hunting and other rifles and handguns for target shooting, feels his Constitutional rights are being violated — namely the right to bear arms.
“The Second Amendment is to uphold our protection as human citizens,” Bagdasar said. “What makes it change to where all the sudden now the government can say, ‘You can’t have this gun but you can have this?’”
That is why Bagdasar and some of the other gun owners at P2K Sports in El Cajon said they are optimistic about Gorsuch. The conservative federal judge does not have much of a history of ruling on gun rights case, but his record demonstrates a strict interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.
“If he’s a Constitutionalist like they say, it’s going to be outstanding because he’ll interpret the law the way it’s read and not have a motion into it,” said Dennis Rohman, general manager of P2K Sports, which includes a gun store and indoor/outdoor shooting ranges that draw up to 200 people per day.
Rohman said gun sales soared leading up to the election and the looming laws, but the ban on some semiautomatic rifles have dampened sales. He’s hoping Gorsuch, if confirmed, will help turn things around.
“Anything positive out of the Supreme Court that will help ease restrictions on the Second Amendment will definitely be a benefit for what we’re doing in California,” Rohman said.
Ron Marcus, director of public outreach with the San Diego Chapter of the Brady Campaign said it is conceivable, with more conservative justices, that the landscape on gun control could shift.
“On a national level there’s certainly a big push after this past election to accelerate gun rights,” Marcus said. “We’re going to be seeing things soon such as proposed reciprocity laws across state lines.”
Marcus said the Brady Campaign is working to help find a middle ground that Americans can support.
"Preserving the rights that are in the Second Amendment, but at the same time helping everybody in society to feel safe from gun fire,” Marcus said.
