“The Supreme Court has not ruled on the issue of red flag laws, which is still an emerging area of law, Chittum said.” I’ve previously written about SCOTUS’ decision in Caniglia v. Strom (https://lnkd.in/gXx-85r2), rejecting a blanket “community caretaking” exception to the Fourth Amendment. The case involved the seizure of firearms from a man police […]
CNN: mental health & guns Read More »
There’s a lot of nuance to gun law. I spoke with CNN reporter Emma C. Tucker about mental health, private sales, licensing, and background checks to help explain the law and how fact-specific it can be. Read the story here: https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/02/us/nyc-shooter-mental-health-firearms.
CNN Story on NYC Shooting Read More »
Guns have improved in almost every respect since the founding of our nation. They are lighter, more durable, more reliable, more accurate. But they are not any quieter. Silencers can make them quieter but they have been strictly regulated since their invention more than a century ago and courts say they’re not protected by the
Blog Post: Silencers & 2A Read More »
In the wake of the terrible shooting in NYC this week, I spoke with investigative reporter Kyle Paine, on 8 News Now, to explain Nevada’s law on firearm transfers and how it differs from federal law. Watch the video here: https://www.8newsnow.com/investigators/las-vegas-co-worker-legally-sold-rifle-to-new-york-mass-shooter-attorney-says/.
8 News Now: NYC Mass Shooting Read More »
This story in the New York Post highlights one of the many internal inconsistencies in the law. Of course, in a country with as many laws ours, conflict is inevitable. I’ve written before about the exception in federal law that allows illegal aliens, drug users, felons, fugitives, etc. to possess firearms. (https://lnkd.in/eARUZJRP.) They just have
The conflict of laws Read More »
Some critics say ShotSpotter can’t distinguish gunfire from fireworks. This tragic case says differently. About a week after Independence Day in 2022, Rickey Latham’s 10-year old son still had some bottle rockets. Latham and the boy were setting them off late into the evening and that began to annoy his neighbor. A confrontation ensued and
A tragic tale in St. Louis  Read More »
When was the last time you dusted under your bed? Prolly been a minute. Unfortunately (for him), same for this guy. Early one morning in May 2021, police responded to a ShotSpotter alert of gunfire near a residence in Ft. Myers, Florida. When they arrived, they spoke to a man who told police he was
Dust under your bed Read More »
This quote speaks to me: “I’m sorry for the length of this letter. It would’ve been shorter if I had more time.” It has been attributed to many famous writers, most often (but incorrectly, it seems) Mark Twain. It captures the challenge of writing well in brief, and especially to the process of editing what
Sorry for the length of this… Read More »
Happy Independence Day! If you’re like me (and most Americans), your celebration today will involve fireworks in one way or another. As I mentioned in this blog post at Duke University School of Law’s Center for Firearms Law (https://lnkd.in/gEU2kw7t), our Founders anticipated that fireworks would be used to mark this day for generations to come.
Happy Independence Day! Read More »
If, like Rockwell,* you always feel like somebody’s watching you, it probably isn’t the government. Well, I mean, the government almost surely is watching you—it collects information on virtually everyone, in more ways than most people realize. When you bank, drive on the road, travel by air. Your taxes, of course. And this doesn’t include
Somebody’s Watching You Read More »
