Thread by @PaulaChertok

“The whole shift is gone."—9th VTA worker dies in Bay Area's deadliest mass shooting.
Paul Megia, 42
Taptejdeep Singh, 36
Adrian Balleza, 29
Jose Hernandez, 35
Timothy Romo, 49
Michael Rudometkin, 40
Abdolvahab Alaghmandan, 63
Lars Lane, 63
Alex Fritch, 49 mercurynews.com/2021/05/26/act…

VTA killer is a poster child for how deadly wrong SCOTUS was in Heller, reinterpreting 2d Am—facially about militias—to confer individual gun rights. He was known for nursing grievances, resenting coworkers, violent mood swings, alcohol abuse, sexual assault. And could buy guns.

Supreme Ct in Heller adopted the NRA's twisted reinterpretation of the 2d Amendment—as intended to guarantee gun rights to individuals. Conservative Chief Justice Burger called that view "the greatest pieces of FRAUD…perpetrated on the American people by special interest groups"

https://twitter.com/PaulaChertok/status/1109157041526849537

No, the Founders never intended to create an unregulated individual right to a gun. But millions believe they did. We understand now how that happens: Right-wing propaganda, media, lobbyists, money. The NRA's relentless crusade changed public opinion, laws, even the Constitution.

https://twitter.com/PaulaChertok/status/914922604816883719

The long NRA crusade to mainstream its tortured reinterpretation of the 2d Amendment ls a triumph of gaslighting—a now regular RW propaganda tool.

"By the time the issue reached the Supreme Court, the desired new doctrine fell like a ripe apple from a tree,"—@BrennanCenter, 2014

@BrennanCenter It's Orwellian that an amendment that explicitly presumes regulating guns was used to overturn gun regulation, even expand gun rights. Gun control was the norm for 200+yrs! Now we're awash in weapons of war & mass shootings b/c guns are just another culture war to the right wing.

https://twitter.com/PaulaChertok/status/914922604816883719