If you are convicted of domestic violence misdemeanor, you may lose your right to carry a gun. That’s the argument put forth in the case of Voisine v. United States and which prompted Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to break his 10-year silence. Thomas, who is a staunch gun rights defender, posed several questions to Justice Department attorney, Ilana Eisenstein, concerning whether the federal law infringes on Second Amendment gun rights. Thomas further pressed Eisenstein to provide another example of a misdemeanor violation that “suspends a constitutional right”. However, Justice Stephen Breyer noted that the Court was only deciding Congress’ intent about the federal law, and so the constitutional question did not require an answer at this time, but that it may in the future. Read Garett Epps’ fascinating story on Justice Thomas’ breaking silence in The Atlantic. Depending on the outcome of this case, your Second Amendment right to carry a gun may be affected. More importantly, right now if you are convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor, your entire life will change because you may face:
