The Second Amendment protects Americans right to keep and bear arms.
But does it also guarantee that right to non-citizens who are in the country illegally?
Heriberto Carbajal-Flores, an illegal immigrant from Mexico living in Chicago, was arrested in 2020 for violating a federal law that prohibits illegal aliens from possessing firearms or ammunition.
Carbajal-Flores said he bought the gun for protection in the wake of turbulent times after the death of George Floyd and challenged his arrest in court.
Earlier this month, a federal judge in Illinois ruled in his favor, saying the law against illegal aliens possessing firearms was unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman wrote in her ruling that the Second Amendment "presumptively protects firearms possession by undocumented persons" because nothing in the wording of the Constitution specifically says they can't own guns.
The judge also noted that Carbajal-Flores gainfully employed, did not pose a danger to society and was otherwise law-abiding before and after his arrest.
Well, except for coming into this country illegally, that is.
We want to know what you think. Should illegal immigrants have the same Second Amendment rights as American citizens? Or should the federal law barring them from possessing guns and ammunition stand?
Send your response (50 words maximum) to [email protected] by Wednesday, March 27. You can also mail your response to the Texarkana Gazette Friday Poll, at P.O. Box 621, Texarkana, TX 75504 or drop it off at our office, 101 E. Broad St, Texarkana, Ark. Be sure to include your name, address and phone number. We will print as many responses as we can in next Friday's paper.
Last Week: Overblown?
Last week's question was about the move to ban TikTok if it is not sold. Are lawmakers right to push for ban if TikTok isn't sold? Are the fears surrounding the platform overblown? Would the sale of TikTok even make much of a difference?
From facebook.com/texarkanagazette
Eh, Meta steals just as much data and sells it to lord knows who.