The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post

Technosavant · March 3, 2009, 10:56 AM

PBP is correct- the 1st Amendment is NOT absolute. If it was absolute, it would be legal to libel and slander other people. Both those things are actionable, and as such you can't hide behind the 1st Amendment in order to save your bacon.

Still, though, much of the gun laws out there aren't all that reasonable. They're usually quite inconsistent, illogical, and ineffective. For example, there isn't that much difference between a rifle with a 16" barrel and one with a 15" barrel, but the former is perfectly legal and the latter has rather significant legal hoops to jump through.

March 3, 2009, 10:56 AM	#7
Technosavant Senior Member Join Date: May 29, 2007 Location: St. Louis, MO area Posts: 4,040	PBP is correct- the 1st Amendment is NOT absolute. If it was absolute, it would be legal to libel and slander other people. Both those things are actionable, and as such you can't hide behind the 1st Amendment in order to save your bacon. Still, though, much of the gun laws out there aren't all that reasonable. They're usually quite inconsistent, illogical, and ineffective. For example, there isn't that much difference between a rifle with a 16" barrel and one with a 15" barrel, but the former is perfectly legal and the latter has rather significant legal hoops to jump through.