“We see this as an important civil liberties issue,” says an ACLU lawyer.
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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), despite its name, historically has not been keen on defending the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. After the Supreme Court affirmed that right in the landmark 2008 case District of Columbia v. Heller, the ACLU continued to maintain that “the Second Amendment protects a collective right rather than an individual right,” saying it “disagrees with the Supreme Court’s conclusion about the nature of the right protected by the Second Amendment.” Yet in United States v. Hemani, a case the Supreme Court will hear on Monday, the ACLU is unambiguously defending the right it used to say does not exist.
The ACLU’s position puts it on the same side as the National Rifle Association (NRA). Although this is not the first time that has happened, it is the first time it has happened in a Second Amendment case. The confluence of interests illustrates the potential for cross-ideological alliances at the intersection of gun control and the war on drugs—a subject I explore in my book Beyond Control.
