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MacGuidwin

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SECOND AMENDMENT LITIGATION FOLLOWING DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA V. HELLER: IMPLEMENTING A COMBINATION CATEGORICAL REGULATION & “UNDUE BURDEN” TEST FOR THE INDIVIDUAL RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS FOR SELF-DEFENSE by Stephen MacGuidwin Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the King Scholar Program Michigan State University College of Law under the direction of Professor Michael Anthony Lawrence Spring, 2008Second Amendment Litigation Following District of Columbia v. Heller: Implementing a Combination Categorical Regulation & “Undue Burden” Test for the Individual Right to Keep and Bear Arms for Self-defense Stephen F. MacGuidwin1 I. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 2 II. The Threshold Question: Who Holds the Rights Conferred By the Second Amendment? ................................................................................................................................. 4 a. The Collective Rights Model............................................................................................... 4 b. The Individual Rights Model.............................................................................................. 6 c. The Limited Individual Rights or Sophisticated Collective Rights Model........................ 8 III. The Follow-up Question: What Standard of Review Applies to the Alleged Infringement of Second Amendment Rights?............................................................................ 9 a. Strict Scrutiny.................................................................................................................... 10 b. Undue Burden................................................................................................................... 11 c. Reasonable Regulation / Rational Basis.......................................................................... 13 d. Categorical Regulation..................................................................................................... 14 IV. District of Columbia v. Heller........................................................................................... 15 V. In deciding District of Columbia v. Heller, the U.S. Supreme Court Should Recognize that the Second Amendment Protects an Individual Right and the Court Should Adopt an Combined “Undue Burden” & Categorical Rules Standard of Review for Second Amendment Challenges.............................................................................................................. 18 a. The Individual Right Model is the Most Consistent with the Text and History of the Amendment and Supreme Court Precedent............................................................................ 19 b. Categorical Regulations with “Default” Undue Burden Scrutiny is the Most Consistent with Supreme Court Precedent, Constitutional Jurisprudence, and the Relevant Interests Involved .................................................................................................................................... 21 VI. Impact of an Individual Rights Second Amendment Categorical Regulations / “Undue Burden” Framework on Existing Firearm’s Legislation.......................................... 23 a. Conceal and Carry Permits .............................................................................................. 23 b. Storage and Safety Requirements..................................................................................... 24 c. Mandatory Waiting Periods.............................................................................................. 26 d. Weapon-style and Accessory Restrictions........................................................................ 27 VII. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 28 “A well regarded Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”2 I. Introduction In our American Democracy, no law has sparked more criticism and debate with less guidance from the courts than the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In the over 200years following its ratification, 3 the Second Amendment has only been interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court a handful of times. 4 More significantly, in these few opinions, the Court has left open important questions regarding the nature and extent of the right. Specifically, the Court has never decided whether the Amendment confers an individual or collective right, nor has the Court proposed a standard of review under which allegedly infringing laws can be evaluated. Both of these outstanding questions present significant problems for our nation, given that at the end of the twentieth century, reports state that “75 to 86 million [Americans] own a total of about 200 to 240 million guns.”5 The Supreme Court, however, finally seems poised to define at least some of the contours of the Amendment in District of Columbia v. Heller, 6 a case that Constitutional Law scholars have already predicted will be a landmark decision.7 In deciding District of Columbia v. Heller, the United States Supreme Court should affirm the D.C. Circuit’s adoption of a Second Amendment individual rights analysis. Furthermore, the Court should classify the individual right as fundamental and specifically announce that the Second Amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense. Additionally, the Court should hold that the “undue burden” test should be the default framework under which the constitutionality of firearms legislation will be scrutinized, subject to certain categorical regulations. This Article first provides background on the key issues involved in the Second Amendment debate: whether the Second Amendment confers an individual or collective right to keep and bear arms,8 and whether the Second Amendment right should be subject to strict scrutiny, reasonable regulation / rational basis review, undue burden scrutiny, categorical regulation, or some other standard.9 The Article then explores the District of Columbia v. Heller litigation, which will certainly resolve the ‘nature of the right’ question, and perhaps evenestablish the appropriate standard of review.10 Thereafter, this Article proposes justifications


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