quorum call:

quorum call:

the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. sessions: i ask unanimous consent the call of the quorum be dispensed. .the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. sessions: madam president, the individual right to keep and bear arms, i think a fundamental right guaranteed by the explicit text of the second amendment to the united states constitution is at risk today in ways a lot of people have not thought about. although the supreme court recently held that the second amendment is an individual right, which is a very important ruling, there are many

significant issues that remain unresolved which most people have not thought about. the supreme court, including whoever will be confirmed to replace justice souter, will have to decide whether the second amendment has any real force or whether as a practical matter to allow it to eviscerate its guarantees. the second amendment says -- quote -- "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." the right of the "people" to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. i know there was a preamble about a well regulated militia being important to the security of the state but the supreme court has just ruled on that in heller and said that does not obviate the plain language that the right to keep and bear arms is a right that individual

americans have -- at least vis-a-vis the united states government. not, not all the amendments, i would say, are so clearly a personal right as the second. the first amendment talks about restricting congress -- congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of a religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. so some could argue that does not apply to the states. it would apply only to the federal government because it explicitly referred to it. however, the supreme court has held it does apply to the states and the right of speech and press and religion are applicable to the states and bind the states, as