DOCSLIB.ORG

In the Crosshairs: Second Amendment Lawyers and Cases in State and Federal Appellate Courts

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
In the Crosshairs: Second Amendment Lawyers and Cases in State and Federal Appellate Courts Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2011 In the Crosshairs: Second Amendment Lawyers and Cases in State and Federal Appellate Courts H. Carl Taylor III West Virginia University Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Taylor, H. Carl III, "In the Crosshairs: Second Amendment Lawyers and Cases in State and Federal Appellate Courts" (2011). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 3468. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/3468 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. In the Crosshairs: Second Amendment Lawyers and Cases in State and Federal Appellate Courts H. Carl Taylor, III Dissertation submitted to the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science John C. Kilwein, Ph.D., Chair Richard A. Brisbin, Ph.D. Jason A. MacDonald, Ph.D. Jeff Worsham, Ph.D. James Nolan, Ph.D. Department of Political Science Morgantown, WV 2011 ABSTRACT In the Crosshairs: Second Amendment Lawyers and Cases in State and Federal Appellate Courts H. Carl Taylor, III Judicial behavior, the types of activities and behaviors judges become involved with in their capacity on the bench, has a profound and lasting impact on the types of decisions rendered by judges across all courts that comprise the American judiciary (Baum 2000; Baum 2006; Maveety 2002). There is a growing realization that judicial behavior encompasses more than just the making of good laws and public policy decisions (Baum, 2000; Baum 2006; Hammond, Bonneau, & Sheehan 2005; Comparato 2003). For example, Songer & Haire (1992) explore integrated approaches to the study of judicial voting through obscenity cases in the U.S. Courts of Appeals. Creating an integrated multivariate model that combines five approaches to judicial voting, the authors find that this new model correctly predicts about 80% of the judges’ votes on obscenity cases with an error reduction rate of almost 46%. My dissertation focuses on the judicial behavior of state Supreme Court and U.S. Courts of Appeals judges through the lens of Second Amendment claims and issues, a polarizing American political issue over the last fifty years. Through a descriptive and logistic regression analysis of the extent of 488 Second Amendment court rulings made in state courts of last resort and U.S. Courts of Appeals rendered between 1960 and 2009, I theorize that state Supreme Court selection methods, the presences of a state intermediate appellate courts, U.S. Courts of Appeals majority presidential party nomination panel, along with state and federal appellate circuit political ideology, urban/rural dynamics, gun ownership percentage, and homicide rates will have an impact on the outcome of Second Amendment decisions at these various judicial levels. For instance, an elected state Supreme Court system is more likely to produce a gun rights ruling, while an appellate panel with a majority of judges appointed by Democratic Presidents would be more likely to produce a gun control ruling. The results indicate state and appellate circuit political ideology (conservativeliberal spectrum) and gun ownership percentages affect the outcome of Second Amendment decisions in state Supreme Courts and the U.S. Courts of Appeals, while homicide rates affect these decisions in state courts of last resort. As such, a conservative political ideology and high gun ownership percentage in a state or appellate circuit means that it is more likely for their judges to produce a gun rights ruling, while a liberal political ideology and low gun ownership percentage means that the state or appellate circuit is more likely to produce a gun control ruling. One chapter explores these dynamics at the state Supreme Court level, while a second chapter does the same in the U.S. Courts of Appeals. A third substantive dissertation chapter considers the impact of legal participation, litigation strategies, venue-shopping, along with interest group coordination, networking, and organization, in planned telephone interviews with pro-gun and gun control Second Amendment interest group lawyers who have litigated cases in these two levels of the state and federal judiciary between 1960 and 2009. In this chapter, it is theorized that there will be clear differences between gun rights and gun control interest groups, and heavily funded and lesser funded interest groups, with regard to the five major interview issues listed above. Twenty-one interviews with interest group lawyers will be conducted between 24 August and 15 October 2010. To My Wife, Maggie “What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined together to strengthen each other in all labor, to minister to each other in all sorrow, to share with each other in all gladness, to be one with each other in the silent unspoken memories?” -George Eliot iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS For assistance and advice, the author’s obligations are many. My greatest debt is to my doctoral committee composed of Dr. John Kilwein, Associate Professor of Political Science and Associate Political Science Department Chairman , Dr. Richard Brisbin, Professor of Political Science, Dr. Jason MacDonald, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Dr. Jeff Worsham, Professor of Political Science and Director of Political Science Graduate Studies, and Dr. James Nolan, Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, under whose thoughtful guidance and constructive criticism aided the research undertaken and whose friendly counsel was a continuing source of encouragement throughout the time it took to complete this document . For their generous interviews and pleasant conversations, I desire to express my sincere thanks to each and every one of the interview respondents, whose responses allowed for an entire chapter to be completed. My obligation is heavy to the numerous authors of books, articles, and other materials whose work served as central theoretical sources of information and guidance, as indicated in the endnotes and works cited pages. Numerous other local, state, and federal officials were generous with their time answering questions and supplying needed information that could not otherwise be produced or obtained by the author. Elvis, my devoted dog, also deserves acknowledgement. He sat beside me as I wrote virtually every page of this manuscript. While his support wasn’t the same as others I have mentioned, it was just as important. His loyalty gave me strength when my ambition to complete this document waned. Finally, I could not forget my wife, Maggie, by expressing sincere thanks for her continued inspiration and encouragement throughout this sometimes challenging process. To you, I owe the greatest debt of gratitude for allowing and pushing me to spend most of my time completing this document. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter One Current Second Amendment Literature and Introduction to the Research Setting ......................... 1 Constitutional Underpinnings ............................................................................................. 4 The Problem of “Original Meaning” ................................................................................. 10 Linking Founders Views to Firearms Policy History ........................................................ 11 Contemporary Constructions of the Second Amendment ................................................. 14 Roots of the Political and Cultural Debate over the Second Amendment ........................ 21 The Second Amendment and Interest Groups ................................................................... 24 Introduction to the Research Setting ............................................................................................. 30 Chapter Two Second Amendment Cause Lawyers ............................................................................................. 40 Styles of American Cause Lawyering ........................................................................................... 42 Individual Client Lawyering ............................................................................................. 42 Impact Cause Lawyering ................................................................................................... 45 Mobilization Cause Lawyering ......................................................................................... 48 Client Voice Lawyering .................................................................................................... 50 Design of the Research .................................................................................................................. 52 Interest Group Case Participation ....................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Prevent Gun Violence Use the Public Health Approach & Evidence-Based Strategies
    Prevent Gun Violence Use the Public Health Approach & Evidence-Based Strategies Self-study course with 14 Cat I CECHs for CHES/MCHES (includes 6.0 Advanced*). Additional 2.5 FREE from CDC continuing education hours are available. Course Developer: Jim Grizzell, MBA, MA, MCHES, ACSM-EP-C, FACHA General Email: [email protected] Information Phone: 909-856-3350 (cell, please call between 9 am - 8 pm PT Course Materials: All materials are available online. Suggestion: keep this Study Guide opened on a computer to click on and open assignments in your browser. Best to use . This is a learning experience that will help the participant gain knowledge and competencies to reduce gun violence as a health problem (~33,700 deaths/year, 10.6/100,000, ~35% 1, 2 Course homicide, ~61% suicide (similar to vehicle traffic deaths), over 465,000 nonfatal firearm victims (23% injured)3, 4). The Public Description Health Approach, and evidence-based strategies and decision making are studied. The history and interpretations of the 2nd Amendment and Supreme Court decisions are studied to learn how laws can be permissible. Pro-prevention and gun lobby groups are reviewed. Course Goals The goal is to help health professionals and partners provide expert assistance applying the Public Health Approach with evidence-based, sound theoretically- and Objectives based, legal (Constitutional) and ethical strategies to reduce gun violence. Course Study Materials: Web sites and files available online 16 Question Assessment (passing is ≥70%, 35 to 50 points) Requirements Course Evaluation (included at the end of the assessment) The entire course will be done electronically using the web, electronic files and email.
    [Show full text]
  • The US Gun Violence Crisis: Human Rights Perspectives and Remedies
    LEGAL STUDIES RESEARCH PAPER SERIES PAPER NO. 19-01-11 January 18, 2019 Harris Institute Report The U.S. Gun Violence Crisis: Human Rights Perspectives and Remedies By Leila Nadya Sadat Director, Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law Madaline M. George Fellow, Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute HARRIS INSTITUTE REPORT The U.S. Gun Violence Crisis: Human Rights Perspectives and Remedies By Leila Nadya Sadat Director, Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law Madaline M. George Fellow, Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute January 18, 2019 DRAFT Table of Contents Annex 1: Glossary of Terms.....................................................................................................................107 i DRAFT Table of Contents ii DRAFT Annex 1: Glossary of Terms...................................................................................................................107 iii DRAFT List of Figures Figure 1: Deaths per 100,000 people from Firearms & Motor Vehicle Traffic Events,. 1950 – 2010........................................................................................................................................... 5 Figure 2: Total Gun-Related Deaths versus Vehicle-Related Deaths of Young Americans, .. 1999- 2016............................................................................................................................................. 8 Figure 3: Worst Mass Shootings in the United States Since 1991
    [Show full text]
  • Participatory Propaganda Model 1
    A PARTICIPATORY PROPAGANDA MODEL 1 Participatory Propaganda: The Engagement of Audiences in the Spread of Persuasive Communications Alicia Wanless Michael Berk Director of Strategic Communications, Visiting Research Fellow, SecDev Foundation Centre for Cyber Security and International [email protected] Relations Studies, University of Florence [email protected] Paper presented at the "Social Media & Social Order, Culture Conflict 2.0" conference organized by Cultural Conflict 2.0 and sponsored by the Research Council of Norway on 1 December 2017, Oslo. To be published as part of the conference proceedings in 2018. A PARTICIPATORY PROPAGANDA MODEL 2 Abstract Existing research on aspects of propaganda in a digital age tend to focus on isolated techniques or phenomena, such as fake news, trolls, memes, or botnets. Providing invaluable insight on the evolving human-technology interaction in creating new formats of persuasive messaging, these studies lend to an enriched understanding of modern propaganda methods. At the same time, the true effects and magnitude of successful influencing of large audiences in the digital age can only be understood if target audiences are perceived not only as ‘objects’ of influence, but as ‘subjects’ of persuasive communications as well. Drawing from vast available research, as well as original social network and content analyses conducted during the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, this paper presents a new, qualitatively enhanced, model of modern propaganda – “participatory propaganda” - and discusses its effects on modern democratic societies. Keywords: propaganda, Facebook, social network analysis, content analysis, politics A PARTICIPATORY PROPAGANDA MODEL 3 Participatory Propaganda: The Engagement of Audiences in the Spread of Persuasive Communications Rapidly evolving information communications technologies (ICTs) have drastically altered the ways individuals engage in the public information domain, including news ways of becoming subjected to external influencing.
    [Show full text]
  • Untangling the Gun Lobby's Web of Self-Defense and Human Rights
    Untangling the Gun Lobby’s Web of Self-Defense and Human Rights Peddling False Rights, Profiting Off Fear By Rukmani Bhatia August 12, 2020 Every human life has inherent value and dignity, and every person has the right to life, liberty, and personal security.1 These truths are codified in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).2 The UDHR was historic, with nations coming together to explicitly recognize the need to protect and preserve these fundamental rights, structuring constitutions to explicitly defend their citizens’ human rights, and particularly their rights to life, freedom, and security. The pro- tection of human rights continues to be a defining pillar to secure a stable, peace- ful liberal world order. But in the United States, some groups—such as the gun lobby—are seizing upon this rights-based narrative to justify, dangerously, the right to bear, carry, and use firearms. The United States was built on a shared set of values and principles, with a focus on protecting and preserving inalienable human rights to life and liberty. In spite of the rhetorical principles on which the United States was founded, the nation has been the site of countless egregious human rights violations, including the eradica- tion of Indigenous populations, the enslavement of people of African descent, and the continued disenfranchisement of communities of color.3 Over time, systemi- cally disenfranchised and persecuted communities have fought for the rights granted in the original founding doctrines.4 These exceptional, prolonged grass- roots advocacy and coalition-building efforts continue today, as evidenced in the recent protests against police brutality targeting Black Americans.5 Today, alongside this rights-based narrative, a parallel narrative exists that is per- petuated by the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Bullet Control How Lax Regulations on Ammunition Contribute to America’S Gun Violence Epidemic
    GETTY FREY IMAGES/GEORGE Bullet Control How Lax Regulations on Ammunition Contribute to America’s Gun Violence Epidemic By Chelsea Parsons and Rukmani Bhatia October 2019 WWW.AMERICANPROGRESS.ORG Bullet Control How Lax Regulations on Ammunition Contribute to America’s Gun Violence Epidemic By Chelsea Parsons and Rukmani Bhatia October 2019 Contents 1 Introduction and summary 4 Overview of the ammunition industry and current regulation 17 Policy recommendations to better regulate ammunition 24 Conclusion 25 About the authors and acknowledgments 26 Endnotes Introduction and summary The physical damage inflicted by any particular gunshot is the result of a combination of the firearm used and the ammunition fired. Sometimes, bullets travel through a body like a knife, propelled on a linear path, slicing through tissue and organs. In other cases, the bullet’s path is less predictable. It fragments in the body, ripping apart tissue and blood vessels, smashing bone, and shredding organs along its path.1 The human cost of America’s gun violence epidemic is visible not just in the overwhelming num- ber of firearm fatalities but also in the radically altered lives of shooting survivors. The devastation of a bullet wound to a human body is often irreparable: Spinal injury leaves survivors paralyzed; blood loss and infections can require amputations; intestinal perforations often result in survivors needing colostomy bags to replace their damaged gastrointestinal tracks. Many gunshot survivors are plagued with a lifetime of chronic pain and suffer premature death from ongoing complications.2 The current national debate about gun violence is largely focused on firearms: Who should have them? What types of firearms should people be allowed to have? Where and how can they be carried? How should they be sold? Certainly, these are all crucial questions that demand a sustained and serious analysis by policymakers at all levels of government.
    [Show full text]
  • The NRA's Anti-Government Language
    Lessons Unlearned The Gun Lobby and the Siren Song of Anti-Government Rhetoric Violence Policy Center April 2010 The Violence Policy Center (VPC) is a national non-profit educational organization that conducts research and public education on violence in America and provides information and analysis to policymakers, journalists, advocates, and the general public. This report was authored by VPC Executive Director Josh Sugarmann and VPC Policy Analyst Marty Langley. The study was funded in part with the support of the David Bohnett Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, and the Public Welfare Foundation. Past studies released by the VPC include: ! Target: Law EnforcementAssault Weapons in the News (February 2010) ! Black Homicide Victimization in the United States: An Analysis of 2007 Homicide Data (January 2010) ! When Men Murder WomenAn Analysis of 2007 Homicide Data (September 2009) ! Law Enforcement and Private Citizens Killed by Concealed Handgun Permit HoldersAn Analysis of News Reports, May 2007 to April 2009 (July 2009) ! Indicted: Types of Firearms and Methods of Gun Trafficking from the United States to Mexico as Revealed in U.S. Court Documents (April 2009) ! Iron River: Gun Violence and Illegal Firearms Trafficking on the U.S.-Mexico Border (March 2009) ! Youth Gang Violence and Guns: Data Collection in California (February 2009) ! Big BoomersRifle Power Designed Into Handguns (December 2008) ! American Roulette: Murder-Suicide in the United States (April 2008) ! An Analysis of the Decline in Gun Dealers: 1994 to 2007 (August 2007)
    [Show full text]
  • Gun Violence and Human Rights
    Washington University Journal of Law & Policy Volume 60 Gun Violence as a Human Rights Violation 2019 Gun Violence and Human Rights Leila Nadya Sadat James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law and Director, Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute, Washington University School of Law, St. Louis; Special Adviser on Crimes Against Humanity to the International Criminal Court Prosecutor Madaline M. George Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute Fellow and a 2014 graduate of Washington University School of Law in St. Louis Follow this and additional works at: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_journal_law_policy Part of the Human Rights Law Commons, International Humanitarian Law Commons, and the International Law Commons Recommended Citation Leila Nadya Sadat and Madaline M. George, Gun Violence and Human Rights, 60 WASH. U. J. L. & POL’Y 001 (2019), https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_journal_law_policy/vol60/iss1/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law School at Washington University Open Scholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Washington University Journal of Law & Policy by an authorized administrator of Washington University Open Scholarship. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Gun Violence and Human Rights * Leila Nadya Sadat & Madaline M. George INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 2 I. GUN VIOLENCE IN THE UNITED STATES IS WORSE THAN YOU THINK ......... 7 II. THE UNITED STATES
    [Show full text]
  • “Start Them Young” How the Firearms Industry and Gun Lobby Are Targeting Your Children
    FEBRUARY 2016 “Start Them Young” How the Firearms Industry and Gun Lobby Are Targeting Your Children WWW.VPC.ORG ABOUT THE COVER The Title “Start Them Young” is a section head of the 2012 National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) publication Understanding Activities that Compete with Hunting and Target Shooting, 2011 Comprehensive Consumer Study, Executive Summary. NSSF is the official trade association for the firearms industry. The Photo “A chilling photograph of a small boy, gnawing on a pistol clutched in his tiny hands, dressed in camouflage and with a grenade and ammunition belt in his lap, was recovered from the weapon-filled home of Sandy Hook school gunman Adam Lanza….A family friend said that Lanza and his older brother were taught to shoot almost as soon as they could hold a weapon by their mother Nancy, a gun fanatic. But a spokesman for Mrs. Lanza’s ex-husband, Peter, last night denied that the child in the uncaptioned photograph was either son.” “Sandy Hook report reveals Lanza children’s early exposure to guns,” The Telegraph, December 28, 2013 COPYRIGHT AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Copyright © February 2016 Violence Policy Center Violence Policy Center 1730 Rhode Island Ave., NW Suite 1014 Washington, DC 20036 202-822-8200 The Violence Policy Center (VPC) is a national nonprofit educational organization that conducts research and public education on violence in America and provides information and analysis to policymakers, journalists, advocates, and the general public. This publication was funded with the support of the Lisa & Douglas Goldman Fund. Primary author for this study was Josh Sugarmann. Additional research and writing was provided by Marty Langley, Avery Palmer, Kristen Rand, and Jane Wiesenberg.
    [Show full text]
  • INSIDE THIS ISSUE: News, Views, Visions, and Analyses on the Difficult Work of Making Change
    THE PEACE CHRONICLE FALL 2015-WINTER 2016 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: News, views, visions, and analyses on the difficult work of making change... WHAT AILS AMERICA? 2016 CONFERENCE CALL ’15 CONFERENCE RECAP PJSA BOOK SERIES CfP Plus... FALL 2015-WINTER 2016 Statements: Guns, Violence Letter from the Co-Chair .............................................. 3 PJSA News and Notes .................................................. 5 Non-Proliferation Issues The Director’s Cut ........................................................ 6 War, Peace, and Poetry Truth to Power ............................................................. 7 Position Paper I ............................................................ 8 ‘A Lifelong Peace Activist’ New Media Spotlight .................................................. 11 News and Views ......................................................... 12 Publications Update, News Position Paper II ........................................................ 14 Reviews ..................................................................... 16 Jobs and Resources ..................................................... 21 Events Calendar ......................................................... 23 Creating a Just and Peaceful World through Research, Action, and Education THE PEACE CHRONICLE FALL 2015-WINTER 2016 The Peace and Justice Studies Association Board of Directors Edmund Pries - Co-Chair Cris Toffolo - Co-Chair Jack Payden-Travers - Secretary Ellen Lindeen - Treasurer Elham Atashi - Media Liaison Swasti Bhattacharyya -
    [Show full text]
  • Via Issuelab
    GETTY IMAGES/YASIN OZTURK GETTY IMAGES/YASIN The Gun Industry in America The Overlooked Player in a National Crisis By Chelsea Parsons, Eugenio Weigend Vargas, and Rukmani Bhatia August 2020 WWW.AMERICANPROGRESS.ORG Contents 1 Introduction and summary 3 Overview of the U.S. gun industry: Manufacturing, importation, exportation, and commercial sales 21 Heightened regulation of certain types of firearms and accessories 27 Underground gun-makers 32 Regulating guns and ammunition for safety 38 Holding the industry accountable 42 Policy recommendations to better regulate the gun industry 51 Conclusion 52 About the authors and acknowledgments 53 Endnotes Introduction and summary The national conversation about gun violence in the United States focuses primarily on the harms caused by the misuse of firearms—the details of the incidents that take the lives of 40,000 people every year and grievously injure tens of thousands more.1 This debate often occurs in the aftermath of specific gun-related tragedies and tends to focus on the individual who pulled the trigger and what could have been done to intervene with that person to prevent the tragedy. But largely absent from the national conversation about gun violence is any mention of the industry responsible for putting guns into our communities in the first place. The gun industry in the United States is effectively unregulated. The laws governing the operation of these businesses are porous and weak. The federal agency charged with oversight of the industry—the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)—has been historically underfunded and politically vulnerable, making it nearly impossible for the agency to conduct consistent, effective regulatory oversight activities.
    [Show full text]
  • Armed & Fabulous
    J.M. de Graaf Women in the NRA and the gun rights debate 18.236 words Final version – 18 July 2013 Universiteit Utrecht MA thesis 2013 # 3 8 0 0 7 3 3 American Studies M.P. Bossenbroek J . V e r h e u l Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................ ii Introduction........................................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1. From “frontier mother” to Bonnie to Wonder Woman .................................................... 10 Mothers & Nostalgia ..................................................................................................................... 10 Women in World Wars .................................................................................................................. 15 The “icon cocktail” ........................................................................................................................ 17 Chapter 2. The gun as a tool for equality. Radical transformation. .................................................... 19 Redefining genders ....................................................................................................................... 19 Black Panther women, an example? .............................................................................................. 21 White radical women on the Left .................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Cdc Study Shows Gun Law Failure
    STRAIGHT TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU CDC STUDY SHOWS CAN DO TO PRESERVE YOUR GUN LAW FAILURE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS CCRKBA officials said a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “proves what we have been saying for years” that gun control laws simply do not work. In a lengthy presentation, the CDC analyzed scientific evidence regarding “bans on specified firearms and ammunition, restrictions on firearm acqui- November sition (including waiting periods), firearm registration and licensing, con- cealed-carry laws, child-access-prevention laws, zero-tolerance laws for 2003 firearms in schools and combinations of firearm laws.” A CDC task force “found insufficient evidence to determine the effective- Volume XXVIII No. 11 ness of any of the firearm laws or combinations of laws reviewed on violent outcomes.” It also found that “firearms-related injuries in the United States have IN THIS ISSUE declined since 1993” despite the fact that “approximately 4.5 million new firearms are sold each year.” CDC Study: Gun Control A Failure 1 CCRKBA Executive Director Joe Waldron pointed out that, “for years, Airline Pilot Raps TSA 2 anti-gun groups, often citing the CDC’s earlier biased research, had claimed Dems Court Gun Owners 3 more gun laws will reduce violent crime and suicide. CDC stopped Citizen Action Project 3 conducting advocacy research in 1996 by order of Congress. Now, accord- GRPC: Smashing Success 4-5 ing to more balanced research, the CDC basically is acknowledging that its Defender of the Month 6 earlier efforts, and those of extremist gun grabbers, have been all wet.” Quick Shots 7 Yet the CDC, evidently unhappy with the available research, wants to study the issue more, arguing that there is “insufficient evidence to deter- mine the effectiveness of any of the firearm laws reviewed for preventing violence.” CITIZENS The report brought an incredulous comment from Peter Hamm with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, known formerly as Handgun COMMITTEE Control, Inc.
    [Show full text]