State AGs: 31 to 5, in Favor of Heller

Dave Kopel, who helped author one of the Heller briefs and whose work is cited in a dozen more, notes at The Volokh Conspiracy that fully 31 of the states' Attorneys General have filed a brief in favor of Heller, compared to 5 that support the District of Columbia's position. That's a significant ratio.

He notes a real surprise in the brief. Not only do the states' AGs argue for an individual rights interpretation of the Second Amendment. They go miles further by arguing for incorporation of the Second Amendment, the effect of which would be to provide Second Amendment protection from incursion by state and local authorities.

That 31 states would argue in favor of incorporation has got to be a five aces hand. These are the folks actually on the firing line against crime, so their voice is significant.

Past that, the next time a politically astute police association lines up the chiefs in favor of greater regulation, this will be a terrific brief to pull out of the closet.

Concurring Links has some very impressive maps showing how the states line up. It's interesting that except for Hawaii the states supporting the District are contiguous northeastern neighbors.

RELATED LINKS:
Heller: The Analysis of Crime Statistics
Heller Has More Friends
Heller's Friends: The Doctors' Prescription
Heller's Friends in Congress, And One More
Heller’s Friends: Claremont Institute and the Scholars
The Heller Posse: A Roundup of Briefs: The NRA
Heller: The Good Guys Shoot Back, With Effect
On Heller: Shot in the Back by the Bush DOJ

For even more on the case and the subject, click here.

History is in the making here and things will never be quite the same.