A stab in the back from the Bush administration

I have (until now) been remiss in not adding my voice to that of David Codrea's War on Guns blog, condemning the perfidy of the Bush administration.

I refer to the fact that, contrary to the position outlined by former Attorney General John Ashcroft--that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right--(a truth that should go without saying, but that's another discussion), the FAA is now advancing the meritless argument that it protects a "collective right."

This right is not unfettered. Nearly every statute restricting the right to bear arms has been upheld. For example, in 1958, Congress made it a criminal offense to knowingly carry a firearm onto an airplane engaged in air transportation. 49 U.S.C. 46505. Additionally, nearly all courts have also held that the Second Amendment is a collective right, rather than a personal right. Therefore, despite the Second Amendment collective right to bear arms, the FAA has the authority to prohibit firearms on launch and reentry vehicles for safety and security purposes.

(This is in reference to rules prohibiting weapons on commercial spaceflights, if and when those become a reality)

Apparently, President Shrub's administration no longer finds it to be politically expedient to stand up for the Constitutionally protected fundamental human right of the individual to keep and bear arms. I guess gun owners have served their purpose.