The Backlash to Stevens' Call for 2nd Amendment Repeal

Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who served on the bench from 1975 to 2010, recently generated national controversy by writing an op-ed in the New York Times advocating for the repeal of the Second Amendment. The backlash was swift and severe. Critics claimed Stevens was “wrong,” called him “delusional,” “unhelpful, untimely, and fanciful,” and a “sore” loser who provided “a gift” to the NRA.

I have long dismissed policy proposals that call for enactment through constitutional amendment. The Constitution has rarely been amended, given the formidable institutional barriers that need to be overcome.