Second Amendment
From my cold dead hand: Gun groups perpetuate militia myth to keep whatever arms they dream of
About the Second Amendment: I have questions. I cannot wrap my lizard-sized brain around the notion that the reason for people to keep and own guns is to protect against tyranny. Spare me the historical discourses about the establishment of the Second Amendment, because I realize a bunch of a rag-tag colonists rose up against […]
Gun violence is a proxy war on the American public
As the riot of gun violence in America produces fresh massacres by the day, firearm fundamentalists refuse to acknowledge the blood on their hands, and their suicidal stance in the face of escalating carnage is that more guns are the answer. But it’s worse than that. Take a close look at the arguments that gun […]
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 […]
U.S. Supreme Court expands gun rights in striking down New York concealed carry law
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a New York law that made it illegal to carry a firearm in public without showing a special need for protection. The court ruled that the state’s concealed carry law violates the 14th Amendment of the Constitution — a major decision that expands the Second […]
Responsible gun owners know it’s nuts to permit firearms that scare police
Last month, an untrained 18-year-old kid, armed with an AR-15 and multiple high-capacity magazines, intimidated an entire police force into doing nothing while he slaughtered their town’s helpless schoolchildren. For more than an hour, while kids frantically texted and called 911 begging to be rescued, the “good guys” did nothing. They did nothing because they […]
Lawyer who clerked for Justice Scalia debunks some Second Amendment mythology
In case you missed it, be sure to check out an op-ed published this morning in the New York Times authored by a pair of attorneys and former U.S. Supreme Court law clerks — Prof. Kate Shaw and John Bash. In “We Clerked for Justices Scalia and Stevens. America Is Getting Heller Wrong.” the two explain […]
Special report from Michigan: After mass shootings, many GOP leaders’ ‘concern is for guns,’ experts say
[Editor’s note: This special report was published by Policy Watch’s sibling States Newsroom outlet, the Michigan Advance in response to a recent school shooting in that state that claimed the lives of four schoolchildren.] After police say a 15-year-old shot and killed four of his classmates and wounded seven others at Oxford High School in […]
DC update: Justices skeptical about NY gun law; Senate GOP blocks John Lewis voting bill
At Supreme Court oral argument, conservative justices question New York gun control law WASHINGTON — Conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court expressed skepticism Wednesday after listening to two hours of oral arguments on a New York law that imposes strict limits on carrying a gun outside the home—a case that will test how far states can go when crafting their own laws.
Supreme Court takes up major gun rights case today. Here’s what’s at stake.
All eyes will be on the U.S. Supreme Court today when the high court will take up the first major Second Amendment case in more than a decade. The case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, could have major implications for states and their ability to regulate guns, according to three Duke University scholars.
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 […]
Eight years later: We profane the memory of the Sandy Hook children with our failure to act
A lot of people have — perhaps understandably — put it out of their minds, but yesterday was the anniversary of one of the most horrific events in American history. It was eight years ago yesterday that a deeply troubled 20 year-old walked into a Connecticut elementary school with a semi-automatic assault rifle and systematically […]
U.S. Supreme Court tosses gun case as Kavanaugh urges future debate
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday avoided issuing a landmark Second Amendment ruling in a closely watched gun rights case, but set the stage for future legal battles. A divided court ruled that a challenge to New York City gun restrictions was moot because the city had later changed its regulations. The case […]