gun laws
Republicans fall short of a veto-proof legislative majority, but advocates foresee tough fights on several key issues
Close votes loom on bills impacting the environment, abortion rights, gun violence, public education, LGBTQ rights Republicans fell short of winning a supermajority in the state House, which may help preserve the strength of Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto. Republicans needed to pick up three seats in the 120-member House to win a supermajority, but fell short by one, the Associated Press reported.
The original Second Amendment, its religious provision and modern originalism
Worth your time this week: a recent essay published by the Duke Center for Firearms Law on the original version of the Second Amendment and its potential implications as a conservative majority leans on what it characterizes as constitutional originalism. The author, South Texas College of Law Houston Professor Dru Stevenson, examines the little discussed […]
Snake oil salesmen have nothing on Congress as it tries to sell gun control to America
Whatever the National Rifle Association is paying for the votes in the U.S. Senate, it’s not enough. They’re getting one heck of a deal. And no organization should be more excited to support the measures that the Senate is contemplating than the NRA. It’s a bill that is all hype, no substance and won’t affect gun owners, gun safety or the NRA’s silent but co-equal partner, the gun manufacturers, in any meaningful way.
Fourth Circuit ruling: federal laws banning handgun sales to young adults violate Second Amendment
Experts say review of 2-1 decision by full Court of Appeals is a strong possibility A three-judge panel on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down decades-old federal laws and regulations that prohibit retailers from selling handguns to young adults under 21. The ruling, issued Tuesday, was 2-1. Congress previously cited the disproportionately high crime rate […]
Studies: “Stand Your Ground” laws increase homicides, do not lower violent crime rates
A new meta-analysis of 25 studies of so-called “Stand Your Ground” laws finds they raise rather than lower violent crime rates, contribute to more homicides and are applied in a racially unequal way. The analysis, published earlier this month in the American Journal of Public Health, looked at “expanded civilian rights to use deadly force […]
Law experts: Constitutional issues often misunderstood in gun, protest and militia debates
As guns become an increasing part of conflicts around elections, political protests and demonstrations, law experts say many Americans have a fundamental misunderstanding of the legal and constitutional issues around them. The Duke Center for Firearms Law held an online roundtable discussion Tuesday exploring the issue in the wake of the 2020 election, the insurrection […]
Today’s ‘must read’ report: Firearm violence in North Carolina constitutes a major public health epidemic
A new, statistics-packed report from the good people at North Carolinians Against Gun Violence tolls the terrible damage that firearms are wreaking in our state and nation. According to the report, “Safe North Carolina 2020,” (click here to read the executive summary and here to explore the full report) firearm violence has become a public […]
New poll: Positions on gun laws important to voters this election cycle
New polling, released Monday, shows candidate positions on gun safety matter to voters as as they head to to the polls this week. The poll, done by Schoen Cooperman Research on behalf of Everytown for Gun Safety, was a survey of battleground state likely voters — including 475 from North Carolina. Key findings in the survey […]
North Carolina mother, retired teacher shares tragedy to push for stronger gun safety laws
For Susan Browder, 2012 was a a life-changing year. In September her daughter, Sarah, was killed by her husband. He shot her twice with a handgun he kept in their Davie County home — once in the shoulder and once through the spine. He then turned the gun on himself. Though he died instantly, Sarah […]