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https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/21/supreme-court-gun-rights-trump-assassination-attempt-00180350
The Supreme Court’s recent decisions on Second Amendment rights have unleashed a flood of constitutional challenges to long-standing gun laws — including one being used to prosecute the man who allegedly tried to assassinate Donald Trump on his golf course this week.
Ryan Routh was arrested and charged with violating the federal ban on people with prior felony convictions possessing firearms.
That ban has long been a central part of federal gun-control efforts. But many of those charged under the statute — along with some gun-rights advocates — argue that the law is unconstitutional.
“This kind of split among the federal courts is one of the biggest predictors of whether the Supreme Court will step into a controversy,” said Adam Winkler, a law professor at UCLA and an expert on the Second Amendment.
It’s too soon to know what kind of defense Routh will mount, and any constitutional challenge may provide limited benefit considering his potential legal jeopardy. The 58-year-old man was arrested on Sunday in Florida after a Secret Service agent allegedly spotted him waiting with a semi-automatic rifle at a golf course while the former president played nearby. He is scheduled to appear Monday at a court hearing in West Palm Beach, where a judge will determine whether he can be released on bail.
So far, prosecutors have charged Routh with two crimes: possessing a gun with an obliterated serial number and possessing a gun as a felon. Prosecutors could move to add other charges later, including attempted assassination of the president.
Routh’s felony record includes a 2002 North Carolina conviction for possessing a “weapon of mass destruction” after he was found with a fully automatic machine gun. He was also convicted in 2010 in North Carolina of possessing stolen goods, authorities say.
The Supreme Court’s recent decisions on Second Amendment rights have unleashed a flood of constitutional challenges to long-standing gun laws — including one being used to prosecute the man who allegedly tried to assassinate Donald Trump on his golf course this week.
Ryan Routh was arrested and charged with violating the federal ban on people with prior felony convictions possessing firearms.
That ban has long been a central part of federal gun-control efforts. But many of those charged under the statute — along with some gun-rights advocates — argue that the law is unconstitutional.
“This kind of split among the federal courts is one of the biggest predictors of whether the Supreme Court will step into a controversy,” said Adam Winkler, a law professor at UCLA and an expert on the Second Amendment.
It’s too soon to know what kind of defense Routh will mount, and any constitutional challenge may provide limited benefit considering his potential legal jeopardy. The 58-year-old man was arrested on Sunday in Florida after a Secret Service agent allegedly spotted him waiting with a semi-automatic rifle at a golf course while the former president played nearby. He is scheduled to appear Monday at a court hearing in West Palm Beach, where a judge will determine whether he can be released on bail.
So far, prosecutors have charged Routh with two crimes: possessing a gun with an obliterated serial number and possessing a gun as a felon. Prosecutors could move to add other charges later, including attempted assassination of the president.
Routh’s felony record includes a 2002 North Carolina conviction for possessing a “weapon of mass destruction” after he was found with a fully automatic machine gun. He was also convicted in 2010 in North Carolina of possessing stolen goods, authorities say.
