Filmmaker Michael Moore says it’s time for Congress to repeal the Second Amendment and replace it with something that establishes a “right of all people to be free from gun violence.”
The director of 2002’s anti-gun documentary “Bowling for Columbine” issued a extensive statement on Wednesday titled, “My Proposal to Repeal the Second Amendment and Replace It With This.” The post, which was shared with over 2 million Facebook fans, lays out a blueprint for Mr. Moore’s proposed 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
“A well regulated State National Guard, being helpful to the safety and security of a State in times of need, along with the strictly regulated right of the people to keep and bear a limited number of non-automatic Arms for sport and hunting, with respect to the primary right of all people to be free from gun violence, this shall not be infringed,” the desired amendment reads.
Mr. Moore’s proposal comes three days after 64-year-old gunman Stephen Paddock killed 59 people and wounded over 500 others during a mass shooting along the Las Vegas strip.
“I, Michael Moore, along with all who support an end to this epidemic of gun violence, propose a new Amendment to our Constitution that repeals the ancient and outdated 2nd Amendment (which was written before bullets and revolvers were even invented), and replaces it with a new 28th Amendment that guarantees States can have State militias (a.k.a. State National Guards which are made up of citizen-soldiers who are called upon in times of natural disasters or other State emergencies), allows individuals to use guns for sport and gathering food, and guarantees everyone the right to be free of, and protected from, gun violence (i.e., the public’s safety comes ahead of an individual’s right to own and fire a gun),” the director said.
Mr. Moore’s ideal public policy following the repeal of the Second Amendment would include laws that require a man to get gun-waivers from “his most recent ex-wife, or any woman with whom he is currently in a relationship (if he’s gay, he must get the waiver from his male spouse/partner).”
The Hollywood activist also suggested mandates on fingerprint technology for each weapon.
“We will never eliminate all murder; that’s been with us since Cain killed Abel. But we CAN join the community of enlightened nations where gun violence is that rare occurrence — as opposed to the daily tragedy we now suffer here in the United States of America,” Mr. Moore added. “This can come to an end with the repeal of the 2nd Amendment and replacing it with the 28th Amendment.”
The director’s plan is unlikely to materialize anytime soon, as the process for amending the Constitution requires a successful two-thirds vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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