“Well, they can be infringed, because the First Amendment is infringed, I have to obey all sorts of regulations from the FCC, there are things we can’t say in a crowded theater, so every right also carries with it responsibilities and obligations.” In response, Eric Pratt, of Gun Owners for America, provided a well thought out analogy that seemingly dismantled Mitchell’s argument.
“What’s interesting about that, though, is we don’t gag people before they go into the theater, we punish the lawbreakers,” he said. “And in the same way, we would argue punish those who abuse the right, but don’t gag law-abiding citizens before they exercise their right. We shouldn’t be registering them like sex offenders, like they are in New York. We shouldn’t be in any way impeding them if they have not committed a crime.”
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