Amy Coney Barrett & Gun Control: Do We Know Her Views on the Second Amendment?

Amy Coney Barrett

University of Notre Dame Amy Coney Barrett

Amy Coney Barrett may be one of President Donald Trump’s top contenders for replacing Justice Anthony Kennedy in the Supreme Court. Of great importance to both liberals and conservatives is what view the new Supreme Court justice has on the Second Amendment and gun control. Here’s what we know so far about Barrett’s views.

Not much is known specifically about Amy Coney Barrett’s views on gun control and the Second Amendment at this point in time. We do know that the Second Amendment Foundation has so far reacted positively to all of Trump’s potential nominees, including Barrett. The Foundation said that all the nominees look “very promising.” Founder Alan M. Gottlieb told Free Beacon: “At this point, it appears that Donald Trump is fulfilling his commitment to bring balance to the federal courts by nominating judges who adhere to the Constitution rather than try to reinvent it to fit their own political agendas.”

However, others think that she may not be quite as conservative in all her rulings as suspected. Dallas News reported that during her Senate confirmation to a federal appeals court, she was supported by all three Republicans and all three Democrats. Tim Kaine, Joe Donnelly, and Joe Manchin all supported her, which might indicate she is less likely to be “extremist” in her viewpoints.

Why is it so hard to know her viewpoints on guns? She hasn’t spoken publicly about her opinions on the Second Amendment. She was just confirmed as a judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals on October 31, 2017. Prior to that, she was a professor of law at the University of Notre Dame from 2002 to 2017. In her time on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, she’s authored eight majority opinions and one dissent. But none of those opinions concerned the Second Amendment.

The only other thing we really know so far is that Amy Coney Barrett’s husband, Jesse Barrett, is a federal prosecutor and has handled a number of cases related to guns. Jesse is an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana. In his career, he’s handled cases involving felons who possessed firearms. But since this is part of his job, it really can’t give us an indication on his viewpoints. And of course, how Amy Coney Barrett will rule on the Second Amendment won’t have anything to do with her husband’s job.

So at this point, Barrett’s viewpoints on the Second Amendment and gun control are a bit of a wild card. It’s possible that she will answer questions about this more directly if she is chosen as the nominee. But right now, it’s really anyone’s guess how she would rule on cases involving Supreme Court cases and the Second Amendment.