General Discussion

No way, folks said. You can't legislate responsible behavior. Driving drunk is a rite of passage in some areas of the country. People won't stand for the infringement on their rights. The cops will go crazy, arresting anyone and everyone.

But little by little, month by month, year by year, incidences of drunk driving declined. Legislatures and governors began taking the issue seriously. Where it used to be socially acceptable to drive home wasted, nowadays anyone dumb enough to talk about driving while impaired is going to get slammed by stranger and friend alike.

Do people still drive while impaired? Yeah. Is it acceptable? Hell, no. It's been a long slog, but with public education, easy and inexpensive alternatives, and laws with real teeth, society has changed.

Now that Americans are getting used to the notion that there's no such thing as "settled law" (thanks to the Dobbs decision), we could see a new generation of judges who emphasize the language of the Second Amendment that refers to "a well-regulated militia" rather than other verbiage. We could see a societal change in people's attitude toward firearms and the free fire zones that so much of the country has become.

Will it happen tomorrow? Of course not. Can it happen? If we don't try, the answer is an automatic no.