Hey, everyone. Jared here from Guns and Gadgets, your premiere source for Second Amendment news that the mainstream media won’t cover. And today, we’ve got a case that’s heading to the Supreme Court that could shake things up in a big way. Especially for anyone who’s ever been convicted of a non-violent felony. Yeah, this is a big one because the National Rifle Association, Firearms Policy Coalition, Second Amendment Foundation, and the Firearms Policy Coalition Action Foundation just teamed up on an amicus brief to challenge the federal government’s lifetime gun ban for non-violent felons. So here’s a story.

A woman named Melinda Vincent back in 2008. She was convicted for writing a bad check. Not an armed robbery, not armed assault, a check. Ms. Vincent is a licensed clinical social worker. She’s a business owner. She’s a mom and a public health activist. She has no history of violent behavior or any other conduct that suggests she could not responsibly possess a firearm for self-defense. And for more than 17 years, she has been a law-abiding citizen. See, in 2008, Ms. Vincent was convicted for federal felony bank fraud and sentenced to probation for presenting a fraudulent check for $498.12 at a grocery store.

That amount is less than the threshold for a felony in several states. Now the offense occurred in March of 2007. Ms. Vincent completed her probationary sentence without incident. She then earned a degree from the Utah Valley University and two additional degrees from the University of Utah. In 2016, Ms. Vincent started her own therapy and counseling practice and founded the Utah Harm Reduction Coalition, a non-profit organization that provides treatment to those struggling with addiction. Ms. Vincent is a single mother who wants to keep a firearm for protection. And because her children regularly enjoy lawful shooting activities like hunting, she hopes that being able to possess a firearm will allow her to spend some more quality time with her family.

She’s even teaching college students as an adjunct professor. But thanks to federal law, specifically 18 U.S.C. Section 922 G1, she’s banned for life from owning a firearm, all because of one non-violent mistake nearly 20 years ago. She’s tried to challenge it, but the Tenth Circuit basically said, sorry, not our problem. And that’s when this case got pushed towards the Supreme Court. Now, this is where things get really interesting. On June 11th, the NRA, FPC, SAF, and the FPC-AF all filed a joint amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to take up her case. They’re arguing something we all know deep down, that non-violent felons still have Second Amendment rights.

And honestly, it’s about time we said it out loud. I mean, Bruin changed everything. Under that ruling, the government can’t just make up restrictions on gun rights unless they’re rooted in our nation’s historical tradition. And guess what? There’s absolutely no history of disarming violent folks like Melinda. None. FPC President Brandon Combs even said, the historical evidence is a slam dunk. You can’t just strip someone’s rights forever because of a non-violent crime. That’s not how the Constitution works. And Cody Wisniewski, who heads up FPC-AF, he backed that up saying, the government simply can’t meet the Bruin standard here.

There’s no tradition supporting this kind of ban. So, let’s talk history. Back in colonial America, yeah, you know, we did disarm some people. But not everyone. The only people who were stripped of their right to keep and bear arms were those who were considered dangerous, like enemies of the state. Traders. Or violent criminals. Writing a bad check wouldn’t have even made the list back then. In fact, most able-bodied citizens were required to own firearms to serve in the militia. It wasn’t optional, it was expected. And that’s the key here. If we’re going to follow the text, history, and tradition of the Second Amendment, like Bruin demands, then lifetime bans for peaceful, non-violent people, they just don’t hold up.

This isn’t just about Melinda. It’s about hundreds of thousands of Americans who made a mistake, paid their dues, turned their lives around, but are still being punished. Chances are, you know one sitting there home watching this. And right now, we’ve got a patchwork of laws where one federal circuit might restore your rights, but another one says, meh, too bad. And that’s not justice, that’s chaos. And that’s exactly why this case matters. If SCOTUS hears this, and rules in favor of Melinda, it could set a national precedent, restoring rights to people who’ve long been denied their Second Amendment freedom for non-violent offenses.

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Now, this amicus brief, it’s not just a letter. It’s a 27 page constitutional beat down. They walk through the Bruin framework step by step. They show that non-violent felons are still part of the people protected by the Second Amendment. And they completely tear apart the government’s arguments. And again, the biggest point is this, policy doesn’t trump the Constitution. The government doesn’t get to say, we think this group is risky. They have to prove it through historical evidence. That’s the Bruin test. And they can’t do it here. So what happens now? The case is sitting before the Supreme Court.

They haven’t decided whether or not to take it up yet. But all signs point to it being a huge deal if they do. And if the court rules in favor of restoring rights to non-violent felons, it’s not just a win for Melinda. It’s a win for the Constitution. It’s a win for gun owners. And it’s a win for due process. All right, guys, that’s it for today’s breakdown. If you believe in redemption, if you believe in the Constitution, if you believe it’s for all Americans, then this is a case worth fighting for.

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