Archive of past issues.
Dave Kopel's Second Amendment Project is based at the
Independence Institute, a free-market think tank in
Golden, Colorado.
http://www.independenceinstitute.org
1. New Book by Kopel: Supreme Court Gun Cases. 10/4 Book Forum in DC.
2. New Articles by Kopel: The Silveira case and the Morton Grove Case.
Armed Pilots. Junk DC lawsuit. Gun rationing. Chief Moose.
3. Law: Missouri enacts CCW and tort reform. District Court decision
in NAACP case. Wisconsin Supreme Court says state RKBA includes
right to unlicensed CCW in one's business or home.
4. Research: Clayton Cramer history chapters now available.
5. Politics. General Wesley Clark on guns, and his role at Waco.
6. International: Australian sword control. Tony Martin case in Britain.
Scots researcher says playing with guns is good for boys.
Gun safety in Iraq.
7. UN Meeting on Firearms. July 2003. News reports.
8. Terrorism. Steyn on Sweden's culture of passivity. Armed Pilots.
Lott on the Chicago murders.
9. Cutlure: New book by Mary Stange on Hunting. Michael Moore.
Popular Mechanics debunks "smart gun" mandates.
10. Activists: Sandy Froman profile. Kayne Robinson profile.
Mt. Holyoke Second Amendment Sisters profile.
Supreme Court Gun Cases: Two Centuries of Rights Revealed.
David B. Kopel, Alan Korwin, and Stephen P. Halbrook.
http://www.gunlaws.com/supreme.htm
Feature article on the book in WorldNet Daily.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=34163
From Alan Korwin's Press Release announcing the book:
Coming out in September 2003, "Supreme Court Gun Cases" dispels the
myth that the High Court has been quiet on the subject of guns. The
book runs 672 pages, covers 92 gun-related cases, and this is the
bottom line: the Supreme Court has upheld the legal tradition and
historical record of private gun ownership, self defense, and armed
self defense, since the country began. The days of saying Americans
have no individual gun rights are now over.
Time and time again, the Court recognizes the individual right to keep
and bear arms that we observe in every facet of American life, in this
scrupulously researched text. The anti-rights argument collapses under
the weight of the evidence. Gun banners will be forced to find
something new to say. Americans have a constitutionally protected right
to keep arms and right to bear arms.
"...a political earthquake... an exceptional piece of research... the anti-freedom crowd is not going to like 'Supreme Court Gun Cases'."
Larry Pratt, Executive Director, Gun Owners of America
"...wonderful... groundbreaking... belongs on the bookshelf of every practitioner of constitutional law... Gun rights are an integral part of each American's fundamental constitutional liberties."
Thomas C. Patterson, M.D., Chairman, Goldwater Institute
"Right in the face of unrelenting media distortion and anti-gun
propaganda, 'Supreme Court Gun Cases' proves beyond any doubt that the
Court has explicitly upheld the legal and historical record of private
firearms ownership and armed self-defense. This book proves what NRA
has been saying all along -- the Second Amendment protects an
individual's right to keep and bear arms -- a freedom existing before
America's founding and enshrined in our Bill of Rights."
Wayne R. LaPierre, Executive Vice President, National Rifle Association
"The dream team of American gun-law experts has driven a stake through
the heart of the anti-rights gun-ban lobby... The individual right to
keep and bear arms is an American tradition with roots as deep as the
nation itself."
Alan Gottlieb, Chairman, Second Amendment Foundation
Kopel to Appear at American Enterprise Institute Book Forum
Friday, October 3, 2003, 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Wohlstetter Conference Center, Twelfth Floor, AEI
1150 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036
Online registration at
www.aei.org/events
"In their new book, Supreme Court Gun Cases (Bloomfield Press,
September 2003), David Kopel, Stephen P. Halbrook, and Alan Korwin
explain how the Supreme Court has upheld private gun ownership and
armed self-defense since the founding of the Republic. The authors
analyze and reprint the full or partial text of nearly 100 of the
Supreme Court's opinions pertinent to firearms. The Supreme Court has
dealt with the issue of guns and the rights of those who own them far
more frequently, over a broader array of issues, and over a far longer
period of time than is realized. This book examines the importance that
these long forgotten cases have for the current debate over gun control
and the rights of individuals to own guns. Speakers at this event will
include Stephen P. Halbrook, coauthor of Supreme Court Gun Cases;
Nelson Lund, Patrick Henry Professor of Constitutional Law at George
Mason University; and Matthew S. Nosanchuk, litigation director at the
Violence Policy Center."
12:45 p.m. Registration
1:00 Speaker: STEPHEN P. HALBROOK, coauthor of Supreme Court Gun Cases
1:40 Discussants: NELSON LUND, George Mason University,
MATTHEW S. NOSANCHUK, Violence Policy Center
Moderator: JOHN R. LOTT JR., AEI
3:00 Adjournment
Coming soon National Review Online:
Schwarznegger vs. McClintock on guns.
"Consumer safety" proposal would authorize limitless gun confiscation.
http://nationalreview.com
The Silveira Threat. How long will the Second Amendment live?
National Review Online.
Sept. 23, 2003.
http://www.nationalreview.com/kopel/kopel200309230925.asp
Part 2 of a 2-part series on harmful gun rights lawsuits.
Secret Weapon. Some 2nd Amendment Lawyers Help The Gun-Ban Side.
National Review Online
Sept. 22, 2003.
Part 1 of a 2-part series on harmful gun rights lawsuits.
The History Of The Morton Grove Cases, And Of The NAACP's
Successful Litigation Strategy.
National Review Online
September 23, 2003
http://www.nationalreview.com/kopel/kopel200309221255.asp
Getting the Tea Ready? The D.C. backlash.
With Paul Blackman
National Review Online
July 29, 2003
http://www.nationalreview.com/kopel/kopel072903.asp
"Taxation without representation" and D.C.'s attempt to impose a
commuter tax on residents of Maryland and Virginia. Includes a look at
D.C.'s junk lawsuit against the Second Amendment.
Air Neglect. What's wrong with trained pilots having guns?
With Captain David Petteys.
National Review Online
July 2, 2003.
http://www.nationalreview.com/kopel/kopel070203.asp
The TSA is strangling the armed pilots program.
The Bush administration is undermining the armed pilots program.
9/11 Anniversary Commentary
KGNU Radio Broadcast.
September 11, 2004
http://kgnu.net/audio/morn_mag/Morning_Magazine_2003-09-11_raw.mp3.m3u
This broadcast is available in MP3; the Kopel commentary begins at 9:15
into the program.
Eating Away at the Fabric of Freedom.
Gun rationing laws lay the foundation for a total firearms ban.
Excerpt from America's 1st Freedom
The Independence Institute
July, 2003
http://www.davekopel.org/2A/Mags/Eating-Away.htm
Targeting Liberties.
With Paul Blackman
Chronicles Magazine, PDF of pre-publication galleys..
http://www.davekopel.org/2A/Mags/Targeting-Liberties.pdf
Montgomery County Police Chief Moose bungled the sniper case while
recklessly abusing civil liberty.
=======================
3. Law
Missouri Lawmakers Override Governor's Veto Of Gun Violence Bill
Tim Hoover
The Kansas City Star
September 13, 2003
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/6759036.htm
Gun makers get shield from suits as 3rd veto is rejected
Bill Bell Jr.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
September 13, 2003
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/
News/E887DF9449FBAF2F86256DA000141C8D?
Gun makers get shield from suits as the governor of Missouri's 3rd veto is overridden.
NAACP v. ACCUSPORT, INC., ET AL.
United States District Court, Eastern District of New York
Findlaw.Com
July 21, 2003
Federal Court decision dismissing the NAACP's lawsuit targeting gun
manufacturers, concluding that the civil rights group failed to produce
'clear and convincing evidence' that gun industry knew dealers sold
weapons to criminals in minority neighborhoods These are pdf files,
requiring the Adobe Acrobat reader.
Pt. 1
http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/gunlawsuits/naacpacu72103pt1.pdf
Pt. 2
http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/gunlawsuits/naacpacu72103pt2.pdf
Pt. 3
http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/gunlawsuits/naacpacu72103pt3.pdf
Pt. 4
http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/gunlawsuits/naacpacu72103pt4.pdf
http://www.courts.state.wi.us/sc/opinions/01/pdf/01-0056.pdf
http://www.courts.state.wi.us/sc/opinions/01/pdf/01-0350.pdf
4. Research and Scholarship
Armed America: Firearms Ownership, Hunting, and Gun Culture in the
Early United States.
Clayton E. Cramer
ClaytonCramer.Com
2003
http://www.claytoncramer.com/ArmedAmericaTeaser.pdf
Mr. Cramer has put the first two chapters of his next book up on his
web site during his search for a publisher. Chapter 2 is a detailed
examination of colonial miltia laws and arms ownership.
First ever Global Report on Violence and Health released
Press Release by the World Health Organization of the United Nations
3 October 2002
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/pr73/en/print.html
New WHO report presents more complete UN picture of global violence and
contains suggestions for global small-arms measures.
Guns, Drugs and Juvenile Crime: Evidence from a Panel of Siblings and Twins
H. Naci Mocan, Erdal Tekin
National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. w9824
July 2003
http://www.nber.org/papers/w9824
These two authors conclude from statistical evidence that the presence
of firearms in the home increases the propensity to committing robbery,
burglary and theft by about two percentage points for juveniles. The
entire paper may be purchased online.
Is There A Right To Own A Gun?
Michael Huemer
Social Theory and Practice, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 297-324
April 2003
http://home.sprynet.com/~owl1/guncontrol.htm
Huemer concludes that citizen of the U.S. do have a constitutional
right to firearms ownership, and that abridging that right would have a
negative net impact.
Wesley Clark on Gun Control
Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark, in contention for the Democratic party's
presidential nomination.
CNN Crossfire: On the Issues
June 25, 2003
http://www.ontheissues.org/2004/Wesley_Clark_Gun_Control.htm
"I have got 20 some odd guns in the house. I like to hunt. I have grown
up with guns all my life, but people who like assault weapons should
join the United States Army, we have them..."
The Fire Last Time: Wesley Clark and Waco
Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair
Counterpunch.com
Originally Published June, 1999
http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn09182003.html
General Clark, in his role as commander at Ft. Hood, Texas, released
armored vehicles to then-Attorney General Janet Reno for the final
assault of the Branch Dravidian compound at Waco.
"And Now a Chance to Bid Farewell to Mr. Bush"
Michael Moore
"Michael's Message," MichaelMoore.com
September 23, 2003
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php
Film Maker and Anti-2nd Amendment Activist Michael Moore has words of
praise and exhortation for Wesley Clark.
Australia
Now Australians Have A Sword Ban
News.com.au
September 20, 2003
http://news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,7234997%255E1702,00.html
New controls on sword ownership in Victoria would adversely affect
highland dancers, the state National Party said today. Traditional
Scottish dances around swords on the ground will now require a permit
and the payment of a licensing fee.
England
An Afternoon with Tony Martin
Commentary by Sean Gabb
Free Life Issue Number 112
Friday, 19 September 2003
http://www.seangabb.co.uk/flcomm/flc112.htm
A visit with the English farmer arrested and imprisoned for shooting
two thieves, one fatally, while they were plundering his barn.
Playing with guns is 'good for boys'
NEWS.scotsman.com
Murdo Macleod And Scott McCulloch
Sunday, July 13, 2003
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=763492003
Banning boys from playing with toy guns is futile and may even damage
their development, a leading child psychologist has warned.
How To Kill A Burglar
Aidan Hartley
The Spectator
9 August 2003
http://www.spectator.co.uk/article.php3?
table=old§ion=current&issue=2003-08-09&id=3387
Aidan Hartley on how a friend of his shot dead a robber and wounded
another in Kenya last year, without having to go through Tony Martin's
agony
American Pistol Packin' Mamas Enthrall Brits
Vanessa Collingridge
The BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/real_story/3083521.stm
As Tony Martin finishes his sentence for killing a burglar, a BBC
commentator visits an American scheme teaching women how to shoot
intruders.
Iraq
Armed, And Safer, Iraqis
John R. Lott Jr
The New York Post
June 26, 2003
http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/1831.htm
Iraqi citizens felt it necessary to retain such firearms as they had
despite a 'turn-in' deadline imposed by Coalition forces.
7. Articles concerning the United Nations Biennial Meeting on Small
arms, July 2003
Small firearms claim 60 lives every hour: Annan
War Wire
Spacewar.com
July 7, 2003
http://www.spacewar.com/2003/030707192827.lxmb1lk3.html
The article quotes UN Secretary General Kofi Annan who calls
small-calibre firearms a "scourge." It explains that the International
Action Network on Small Arms now comprises 500 non-government
organizations in over 100 countries.
US most armed nation on Earth, study says
Deutsche Welle
July 8, 2003
http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,1429_W_915532,00.html
Article quoting the Geneva Institute of Graduate Studies and in a tone
of some alarm comparing the rates of firearm ownership between Europe
and the United States.
Canada Leads Charge For Small-Arms Control Program: Gun Control Critic
Points To National Registry's Problems
Steven Edwards
Edmonton Journal
July 8, 2003
http://www.iansa.org/news/2003/un/canada_leads.htm
The Canadian delegation to the UN has called for greater international
restriction on small arms despite ongoing problems with Canada's own
gun registry.
"Calls Heard for More Vigorous International Action Against Illicit
Arms Trade, as First-Ever Biennial Meeting on Small Arms Follow-Up
Continues"
The United Nations
July 8, 2003
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/dc2874.doc.htm
UN press release listing the many nations that spoke at the day's
conference advocating further firearm restrictions at both global and
national levels.
Governments failing to meet targets on small arms
The Star Online Edition
July 8, 2003
http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=129&fArticleId=184114
South African article listing perceived faults of world governments not
acting sufficiently to restrict firearm trade and ownership or to
report their progress to the UN.
Vatican Urges Pact Against Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons
Zenit News Services
July 9, 2003
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=38555
Vatican article calling for binding international instruments to reduce
the trade in illicit small arms.
Biennial Meeting of States Concludes Consideration of National Plans To Curb Illicit Small Arms Trade, Hears Proposals from Civil Society
UN Press Release
July 9, 2003
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/dc2875.doc.htm
United Nations press release with a summary of what was said by
different nations during the conference. Gun registration is believed
to be some kind of solution, and the word 'scourge' is routinely
applied to firearms.
Georgia's UN Envoy Says Russian Bases Source of Illicit Arms Trade
H.E. Revaz Adamia
Civil Georgia Online Magazine, English Edition
July 11, 2003
http://www.civil.ge/cgi-bin/newspro/fullnews.cgi?newsid1057992031,44276,
Conference envoy's statement declaring that Russian military bases are
not answering to their central command, and are responsible for feeding
the illegal arms trade.
Don't wait for government protection
Mark Steyn
Chicago Sun-Times Online Edition
September 14, 2003
http://www.suntimes.com/output/steyn/cst-edt-steyn14.html
Opinion column treating the recent stabbing of a Swedish cabinet member
and the failures of governments to protect their individual citizens.
Emergency Q&A About Arming Pilots
Paul Jacob
Townhall.com
September 21, 2003
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/pauljacob/pj20030921.shtml
Jacob answers questions about the Transportation Safety Authority's
gelatinous implementation of Congress's authorization of qualified
pilots being armed aboard jetliners.
Pilots To Feds: Arm Us Faster! Aviators Plan To Demonstrate At Airports
Across America
Jon Dougherty
WorldNetDaily
August 24, 2003
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=34250
Several pilot groups are planning demonstrations at airports around the
nation to protest the TSA's tardiness in allowing qualified armed
pilots.
Pilots Blame TSA for Slow Pace of Guns Certification
The Associate Press
Foxnews.com
Thursday, August 07, 2003
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,94058,00.html
The TSA promises that after the summer is over the pace of their
actions will improve.
Gun control laws may be partly at fault in massacre
John R. Lott Jr.
Chicago Sun-Times Online Edition
August 29, 2003
http://www.suntimes.com/output/otherviews/cst-edt-ref29.html
Lott argues that the promise of safety made by gun-control advocates
has yet again been tragically proved to be an illusion.
Heart Shots: Women Write about Hunting.
Mary Zeiss Stange, Ed.
Stackpole Books
August, 2003
http://www.stackpolebooks.com/cgi-bin/StackpoleBooks.storefront/3f71317900f7da9c2718
1868002f066b/Product/View/0&2D8117&2D0044&2D5
This new book is a collection of old and recent essays by women writers
containing their thoughts about the act of hunting.
Did Michael Moore deceive Academy? 'Bowling for Columbine' failed to
meet Oscar submission rules
Joseph Farah
WorldNetDaily.com
September 2, 2003
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=34367
Column by Farah pointing out where Moore's celebrated film failed to
meet the Academy's standards for a documentary.
Michael Moore, Humbug
Kay S. Hymowitz
City Journal
Summer, 2003
http://www.city-journal.org/html/13_3_michael_moore.html
A detailed examination of Moore's tactics and deceptions in presenting
himself and his treatments of his chosen subject matter.
Smart' Guns: Dumb Idea!
Cliff Gromer, Illustrations By Paul Dimare http://popularmechanics.com/outdoors/firearms/2003/7/smart_guns/
Technical analysis on the unreliability of putative weapons already
actually mandated by New Jersey state law.
==========================
10. Activists
Loving Arms: Looking for America's gun-rights heartland? Look no
further than Tucson.
Emil Franzi
Tucson Weekly
July 17, 2003
http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/currents/Content?oid=oid:47318
Article examining the presence of Arizona 2nd Amendment activists
within the NRA and the national debate on firearms ownership.
Citizen Kayne
John McCaslin
Qashington Times Inside the Beltway
September 17, 2003
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20030916-103640-8558r.htm
Contrary to some claims quoted in the media, Kayne Robinson, the new
president of the National Rifle Association, has yet to set foot in the
Bush White House.
Girls With Guns
Alexandra Hall
Boston Magazine Online
January 2003
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/ArticleDisplay.php?id=196
"Forget lipstick, Fendi bags, and Wonderbras. A local group of young
women has elected the .22-caliber Smith & Wesson as its most powerful
accessory. Is this simply more pro-gun lunacy, or could it possibly be
the next face of feminism?"
Weapons Of Choice: Gun-rights activists to gather in Houston
WorldNetDaily
September 18, 2003
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=34659
The 18th Annual Gun Rights Policy conference will feature NRA Executive
vice-president Wayne LaPierre, Texas Representaive Ron Paul, and
others.
And congratulations of the Firearms Coalition of Colorado as group of
the year by the NRA. Formed in 1989 to fight the "assault weapon" ban
being proposed in the Colorado State legislature, the FCC has been a
stalwart in fighting for constitutional rights.The FCC is outstanding
at stopping bad legislation; virtually none of the repressive proposals
brought forward after the Columbine murders were enacted by the state
legislature. Before that, the FCC shut down most of Governor Romer's
proposals in the 1993 special legislative session. The FCC has a very
strong affirmative agenda, helped to win concealed handgun licensing
reform, and statewide firearms preemption in the last legislature. The
FCC is dramatic proof that a group of motivated, patient,
concerned citizens really can make a difference.
=========================
Dr. Rob S. Rice, no relation to anyone playing for Oakland, is a historian, writer and factotum of matters electronic to David Kopel.
Al Qaeda delenda est!
