There could be a “popular revolt,” if the Supreme Court blocks some kinds of gun control legislation, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Sunday.
“If the Supreme Court eventually says that states or the Congress can’t pass universal background checks or can’t take these assault weapons off the streets, I think there’s going to be a popular revolt over that policy,” Murphy, an outspoken gun control advocate, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“A court that’s already pretty illegitimate, is going to be in full crisis mode,” Murphy added.
Murphy’s comments came after a federal judge ruled Wednesday that a federal law preventing the sale of guns to 18- to 20-year-olds was unconstitutional.
“If the Court were to exclude 18-to-20-year-olds from the Second Amendment’s protection, it would impose limitations on the Second Amendment that do not exist with other constitutional guarantees,” U.S. District Court Judge Robert Payne ruled. That ruling was in line with a 2022 Supreme Court decision in which Justice Clarence Thomas transformed the framework for evaluating gun laws, making it more likely they would be declared invalid.
Murphy noted that Congress had passed a gun-control law last year, and he said he hopes the government will build on that.
Though there is a right to gun ownership, “there is also an ability for Congress to regulate who owns weapons and what kind of weapons are owned,” Murphy said. “I think we have to continue to operate under that construct.”
