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Our right to bear arms
The recent statement by assistant attorney general James Zarones that the citizens of the CNMI have never “considered handguns to be the quintessential self-defense weapon” is one of the lamest excuses uttered in defense of the CNMI laws that ban handguns as well as most rifles and shotguns. The fact is that because of Public Law 6-38, only .22 caliber rifles and .410-gauge shotgun are legal for ownership, the one and only reason there are no handguns registered by private citizens. Let us all cut the crap and base all arguments on facts, not suppositions and pure fiction.
Many argue their points on safety, public welfare, etc. They are but semantics, valid in argument but weightless and moot versus the superiority of the U.S. Constitution and given the number of home invasions, murders, and people missing in the CNMI, these arguments are euphoric at best. However, there is hope that as a result of the pending lawsuits, PL 6-38 and all subsequent laws enacted to address and suppress our guns rights will be declared null and void. If not, the 19th Legislature has to repeal PL-6-38 and all other laws that directly infringe on our right to bear arms. These laws violate the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and make a mockery of justice and our Covenant with the United States.
The U.S. Supreme Court, the judicial arm of the federal government, has ruled in favor of handgun ownership by citizens and handguns being the weapon of choice for self-defense. Since these decisions carry the rule of a federal law that applies to the CNMI, these decisions upon issuance should have carried justice and nullified our well-intentioned but inferior public laws.
The bottom line is that all U.S. citizens and nationals domiciled in the CNMI have the right to own handguns and everything else listed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as legal for private ownership. Our Covenant gave us a right that since 1999 our government has infringed and abused. It is high time we stop wearing our ignorance like shields and follow the law—federal law.
Noel S. Reyes
Dandan, Saipan
