Kansas judge throws out machine gun possession charge, cites Second Amendment

Associated Press

A federal judge in Kansas has tossed out a machine gun possession charge and questioned if bans on the weapons violate the Second Amendment. If upheld on appeal, the ruling by U.S. District Judge John W. Broomes in Wichita could have a sweeping impact on the regulation of machine guns, including homemade automatic weapons that many police and prosecutors blame for fueling gun violence. Broomes wrote in his ruling Wednesday that the “Second Amendment applies to the weapons charged because they are ‘bearable arms’ within the original meaning of the amendment.” A Second Amendment expert says he expects Broomes’ ruling to be overturned on appeal.