Gun Rights
Bipartisan Support for Red Flag Laws Elides the Practical and Constitutional Issues They Raise
Because there is no reliable way to identify future mass shooters, it is inevitable that many innocent people will lose their Second Amendment rights.
The Colorado and Ohio Model Programs That Train Teachers to Defeat Active Shooters
Faculty/Administrator Safety Training & Emergency Response (FASTER)
The Senate's Latest Gun Bill Will Fail, but Not Because of the Filibuster
Democrats love to blame their troubles on Senate rules. They should look in the mirror instead.
Politicians Should Resist the Urge To 'Do Anything' in Response to School Shootings
While that impulse is understandable, it can lead to policies that do more harm than good.
Cops, Gun Restrictions, and Mass Shootings
Plus: The editors contemplate the recent Libertarian National Convention.
If You Want Protection for Your Loved Ones, Do It Yourself
No hollow promise can replace our attachments to our children, spouses, friends, and our own lives.
Unfazed by the Second Amendment, Democrats Want To Ban Gun Purchases by Young Adults
Two federal appeals courts recently concluded that such age restrictions are unconstitutional.
Private Gun Carriers' Self-Defense Against Public Shooters
The Charleston (West Virginia) incident from a few days ago, the FBI 2021 statistics, and more.
A response to the latest vilification campaign against the NRA
David Kopel at the National Firearms Law Seminar
While Dying Children Called 911 for Help, 19 Uvalde Police Waited in the Hallway. For 45 Minutes.
"There were 19 officers in there," said a police spokesperson. "In fact, there were plenty of officers to do whatever needed to be done."
Cops Handcuffed, Arrested a Uvalde Mom for Trying To Rescue Her Kids
Why did it take an hour for the police to stop alleged killer Salvador Ramos?
There Have Been 13 Mass School Shootings Since 1966, Not 27 This Year
Don't conflate mass shootings with school shootings.
School Cops and TSA-Style Security Probably Won't Prevent Tragedies Like the Uvalde Shooting
Making schools more like prisons would not appreciably decrease violence.
In Response to the Uvalde Massacre, Politicians Reiterate Their Demands for Irrelevant Gun Control Laws
Neither expanded background checks nor a federal "assault weapon" ban can reasonably be expected to have a meaningful impact on such crimes.
After the Uvalde School Shooting, Politicians and Pundits Search for Panaceas
Plus: Florida social media law violates First Amendment, against populist antitrust action, and more...
Is It Too Much To Ask That Politicians Know What They're Talking About?
The answer to “Why should these people go to prison?” should not be ill-informed gibberish.
Commonly Touted Policies Are Ill-Suited to Stopping Mass Shooters
These three gun controls failed in New York, and there is little reason to think they would work elsewhere.
Biden Lays Blame for Uvalde School Shooting on Gun Lobby
There's much we don't know about the shooting in Texas that left at least 21 people dead, including 19 children. Nevertheless, Joe Biden knows exactly who to blame and how to stop future shootings.
New York Times Columnist Gail Collins Proposes a 'Simple Battle' To 'Get Rid of the Guns'
It's not clear which guns she is talking about, and even Collins does not seem to know.
The Buffalo Massacre Illustrates the Inherent Limitations of 'Red Flag' Laws
Predicting violence is a lot harder than people claim in retrospect, and a wider net inevitably ensnares more innocent people.
Why Background Checks Do Not Stymie Mass Shooters
The vast majority do not have disqualifying records, and "universal" requirements are easily evaded.
Why New York's 'Assault Weapon' Ban Didn't Stop the Buffalo Massacre
The problem is not sneaky entrepreneurs who sell accessories; it's legislators who ban guns based on functionally unimportant features.
The New York Times Uses a CDC Report on Homicides As an Excuse To Attack Private Gun Ownership
The paper blames a "gun-buying spree" during the pandemic for the 2020 jump in murders.
My Washington Post Article on Gun Rights and Property Rights
It explains why laws requiring private property owners to allow guns on their land are an affront to property rights, and violate the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
Florida's Agriculture Commissioner Says the Ban on Gun Possession by Marijuana Users Is Unconstitutional
Nikki Fried, a Democrat, is suing the Biden administration, arguing that the policy violates the Second Amendment and a congressional spending rider.
ATF's New 'Ghost Gun' Rules Are as Clear as Mud
The ATF used a lot of words that invite lawsuits and leave industry insiders baffled.
Minnesota's Attorney General Says the Cop Who Killed Amir Locke Was Defending Himself. So Was Locke.
That perplexing situation underlines the hazards of police tactics that aim to prevent violence but often have the opposite effect.
Does California's Latest Mass Shooting Show the Country's Strictest Gun Laws Are Not Strict Enough?
Maybe it shows that the existing restrictions are not working as advertised.
D.A.'s Office Letter That Opposed Parole for Man Now Arrested in Connection with Sacramento Killings of Six
The letter is dated April 29, 2021, when Martin was three years into a 10-year sentence for a brutal assault on his girlfriend; he was released in February.
Article on "Gun Rights, Property Rights, and Takings"
My Duke Center for Firearms Law piece on why laws forcing private property owners to allow guns on their premises violate property rights and often qualify as takings requiring compensation under the Fifth Amendment.
Do Studies Show Gun Control Works? No.
Out of 27,900 research publications on gun laws, only 123 tested their effects rigorously.
He Disarmed a Gun-Wielding Menace in a San Jose Taqueria. Then the Cops Shot Him.
Plus: Russia update, literary censorship, myths about American workers, and more...
Handgun Carry Permits Transform a Right Into a Privilege
The argument for loosening restrictions on armed self-defense goes beyond the measurable impact on public safety.
Does Ban on Carrying Weapons "Inside Any Building in Which Judicial Proceedings Are in Progress" …
apply to a judge's home when the judge is participating in judicial proceedings remotely?
Three More States Will Let You Carry a Concealed Weapon Without a Permit
Plus: Ukraine war developments, Biden's new tax scheme, and more...
10 Million Ukrainians Have Been Displaced By the War. The U.S. Has Taken in 690 Ukrainian Refugees.
Plus: A Florida arms manufacturer is donating weapons to Ukraine's defense effort, China eases up on its "COVID Zero" policies, and Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearings begin today...
Ohio Will No Longer Require Licenses To Carry Concealed Weapons
Lawful gun owners should not be forced to jump through hoops just to exercise basic constitutional rights
N.J. Appellate Court Overturns Denial of Handgun Purchase Permit
The applicant had a 5-year-old drunk driving arrest (which led to a conviction on a reduced charge) and a 12-year-old conviction of drinking alcohol by a passenger.