- Publication Date
- May 5, 2020
- Citation
- Nicholas James Johnson, David B. Kopel, George A. Mocsary, E. Gregory Wallace
- Keywords
- firearms, gun, weapon, indian, tribe, mental illness, mentally ill, marijuana, military, sexual orientation, gay, lesbian, gender, sex, black, african american
- Abstract
- Firearms policy debates involve the special concerns of diverse groups in American society. This Chapter examines disparate views about the costs and benefits of firearms in the context of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, marijuana use, military service, and Indian tribes.
Previous chapters have primarily focused on judicial decisions, and legislative and historical material. The content here is different. For the first five groups in the above list, their views are presented through amicus briefs, most of them pro/con briefs from Heller. Pedagogically, the briefs are the opportunity to study how policy advocates serve as genuine “friends of the court,” by presenting the court with specialized expertise and information. As you will see, there is quite a diversity of writing styles in high-quality amicus briefs. The complete briefs are available at Scotusblog’s Heller Case Page. For beginning lawyers with an interest in public affairs, helping with an amicus brief is an excellent and educational pro bono project. - Recommended Citation
- Johnson, Nicholas James and Kopel, David B. and Kopel, David B. and Mocsary, George A. and Wallace, E. Gregory, Firearms Policy and Status (July 16, 2020). Firearms Law and the Second Amendment: Regulation, Rights, and Policy ch. 12 (2d ed. 2020)., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3524125
