Bowie Knife Statutes 1837-1899
Originally published on Reason.com This post describes and analyzes nineteenth century state statutes on Bowie knives. It is a companion to my post The legal history of bans on firearms and Bowie knives before 1900, which described case law. As detailed in that article, the term “Bowie knife” because popular for knife marketing in America and […]
Preliminary Injunction Against New York Bans on Licensed Carry
Originally published on Reason.com Today U.S. District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby issued a preliminary injunction against many portions of New York’s recently enacted “Concealed Carry Improvement Act.” The act had been passed shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which upheld the Second Amendment right to […]
Fourth Circuit Amicus Brief on Maryland Handgun Licensing Law
Originally published on Reason.com Today Joseph Greenlee and I filed an amicus brief in the Fourth Circuit case Maryland Shall Issue v. Hogan. Our brief is on behalf of the Firearms Policy Coalition Action Foundation (where he works) and Independence Institute (the Denver think tank where I work). The case had previously appeared in the Fourth […]
The Colorado and Ohio Model Programs That Train Teachers to Defeat Active Shooters
Originally published on Reason.com For many years there has been debate about allowing teachers to be armed to protect students. This post describes an established training program for teachers who choose to do so in compliance with school rules. The program is FASTER—short for Faculty/Administrator Safety Training & Emergency Response. Introduced in Ohio, FASTER could be […]
Amnesty International Brief Against Right To Bear Arms
Originally published on Reason.com As the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to enforce the Second Amendment right to “bear arms” in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, an amicus brief from Amnesty International argues that doing so would violate international law. In this post, I’ll examine the arguments in the AI brief. Back in […]
Ninth Circuit Holds There Is No Right To Bear Arms Outside the Home
Originally published on Reason.com The en banc Ninth Circuit last week held that the Second Amendment does not extend to open public firearm carriage. The new in Young v. State of Hawaii complements the Circuit’s en banc from five years earlier, Peruta v. San Diego, which held that concealed carry is outside the Second Amendment. According to the Ninth […]
Magazine Confiscation Splits Third and Ninth Circuits
Originally published on Reason.com California and New Jersey have enacted laws to confiscate firearms magazines holding more than 10 rounds. On Aug. 14, a 2-1 panel of the Ninth Circuit ruled California’s confiscation unconstitutional, in Duncan v. Becerra. The Third Circuit, Sept. 1, upheld by 2-1 confiscation in New Jersey in Association of New Jersey Rifle […]
Preliminary Injunction against Dysfunctional California Ammunition Background Checks
Originally published on Reason.com On April 23, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California issued a preliminary injunction against California’s background check law for ammunition purchases. As the court found, the failed system improperly prevents lawful purchases by very large numbers of law-abiding citizens. Starting in 2018, California prohibited consumers from purchasing ammunition […]
Magazines over 10 Rounds Were Well-Known to the Founders
Originally published on Reason.com Did the Framers of the Second Amendment consider the possibility that Americans might own firearms with a capacity greater than 10 rounds? Certainly yes. Such arms had been invented two centuries before the Second Amendment, and by 1791, repeating arms, including those capable of firing more than 10 rounds, were well-known in […]
Magazines Over 10 Rounds Were Well-Known to the Founders
Originally published on Reason.com Did the Framers of the Second Amendment consider the possibility that Americans might own firearms with a capacity greater than 10 rounds? Certainly yes. Such arms had been invented two centuries before the Second Amendment, and by 1791, repeating arms, including those capable of firing more than 10 rounds, were well-known in […]
Amicus Brief on Lawsuits against Gun Manufacturers Invokes NY Times v. Sullivan
Originally published on Reason.com Should gun manufacturers be liable for misuse of guns? Should printing press manufacturers be liable for misuse of presses? The answer to both questions is “no,” according to an amicus brief I filed today in support of a Supreme Court cert. petition. Amici include the Cato Institute, the Firearms Policy Coalition, several […]
Frank Brownell Museum of the Southwest
Originally published on Reason.com Located near Raton, New Mexico, the Frank Brownell Museum of the Southwest is a small and excellent firearms museum. The museum also has a library of great utility to anyone researching firearms. The museum and library are part of the Visitor Center at the NRA Whittington Center, a 52-square-mile target shooting and […]
