Judge Kavanaugh Stands By "Common Use" Defense on Assault Weapons

Supreme Court Nominee stood by his position that a ban on assault weapons is unconstitutional, citing the late Justice Antonin Scalia's "common use" argument, which Judge Kavanaugh himself used in the 2011 Heller v D.C. case striking down a handgun weapons ban in the District of Columbia. Judge Kavanaugh said that while semi-automatic rifles are dangerous, they are "widely possessed in the United States...and so that that seemed to fit "common use" and not being a dangerous and unusual weapon." Asked how he could reconcile his position with the recent spate of deadly school shootings, Judge Kavanaugh went on to say that violence in schools is something that he detests and that more needs to be done to make schools safer. close