2A Reading List

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The Good article got me thinking...we should start an LGC Second Amendment reading list.

Please post your "must read" articles, books, blog posts, documemts, etc. here. Please link when possible (even if it's to Amazon, or better yet, to the author's website or Powells). Provide a brief synopsis and why you think it is important.

From time-to-time, I will edit this post and list your links by title and who recommended them, so readers won't have to go through pages of posts to find the one thing they are looking for.

Mods: would you be willing to sticky this?
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Re: 2A Reading List

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Some articles on gun ownership from a liberal-leaning perspective:

"Happiness is a worn gun" by Dan Baum

"The riddle of the gun" by Sam Harris

"The Rifle on the Wall: A Left Argument for Gun Rights"

On the connection between gun ownership and crime:

"The Myth of the 'Virgin Killer'" by Don B. Kates and Daniel Polsby

"Firearm costs, firearm benefits, and the limits of knowledge" by Daniel Polsby

"The Right to Arms: the Criminology of Guns" by Don B. Kates

"Guns and Public Health: Epidemic of Violence or Pandemic of Propaganda?" by Kates et al.
Sergeant Colon had had a broad education. He'd been to the School of My Dad Always Said, the College of It Stands To Reason, and was now a post-graduate student of the University of What Some Bloke In The Pub Told Me. -- Terry Pratchett, Jingo

Re: 2A Reading List

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Freedmen, The Fourteenth Amendment, and the Right to Bear Arms, 1866-1876

Since McDonald its argument is moot, but it is still an informative book on a chapter in the history of the right to keep and bear arms.

[edit] This book was also just cited in the Peruta decision by the 9th CA, to give you an idea of its significance.

The Origin of the Second Amendment: A Documentary History of the Bill of Rights in Commentaries on Liberty, Free Government & an Armed Populace 1787-1792

A ponderous tome, but an invaluable reference of the primary source material on the origin of the Second Amendment. If you ever find yourself debating anyone about whether the Founding Fathers intended to protect an individual right to keep and bear arms, just whack them upside the head with this 800+ page collection of the writings of the Founding Fathers on the subject. If they're not swayed by the logic of your arguments, they will at least be floored by the weight of your evidence.

The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction

While not restricted to the Second Amendment, this is perhaps the most authoritative book ever on each of the first 10 amendments, written by liberal Yale law professor Akhil Reed Amar. Extremely well done and very readable. Spoiler Alert - even he, reluctantly, agrees that the Second Amendment protects an individual right, not a "state right".

Re: 2A Reading List

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Gun Control and the Constitution: The Courts, Congress, and the Second Amendment [Paperback]
Robert J. Cottrol

May be newer editions, as it doesn't cover Heller or McDonald, but does a good job covering past decisions (Like Miller) good reading majority and dissent opinions.


http://www.amazon.com/Gun-Control-Const ... 0815316666

And Lott's books, "The Bias Against Guns" & "More guns Less Crime"


I disagree with pretty much everything else Lott says (hyper conservative), but these works are actually good look at facts in the case. His economics, like economics tend to be, are purely hypothetical. In these he does a good job of addressing common anti-studies and breaking down exactly how flawed they are either through bias, or through cherry picked data, or from bad design (that leads to flawed conclusions - the discussion of the methodology of the "Gun owners XX more times as likely to be killed" is worth the book's price (especially used!) alone.).
"If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin” – Charles Darwin

Re: 2A Reading List

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Lifetime Likelihood of Victimization
http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/llv.pdf

This is a Bureau of Justice Statistics report, I'd restate the title with more explanatory words, but that is probably the best title I've seen on a report ever.

With the caveat that you need to go back and look at the violence and murder rate of the mid-eighties US to put this in context, this report is actually a very good argument for concealed carry and self defense.

I see no evidence that BJS is looking to update this report, it's approaching it's 30th birthday. Perhaps the results wont be scary enough?

MODS, this might not be 2A enough, if I need to repost in General, that's fine.
some days, I just don't English

Re: 2A Reading List

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http://theacru.org/acru/harvard_study_g ... roductive/
http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/org ... online.pdf
Contrary to conventional wisdom, and the sniffs of our more sophisticated and generally anti-gun counterparts across the pond, the answer is "no." And not just no, as in there is no correlation between gun ownership and violent crime, but an emphatic no, showing a negative correlation: as gun ownership increases, murder and suicide decreases.
http://www.sascv.org/ijcjs/harries.html
By and large, the available evidence increasingly tends to suggest that most types of crime tend to increase in levels of occurrence with increasing population density. This relationship, however, is moderated by SES. A cluster of affluent high-rise apartments in Mumbai or New York may have high density, but will also have a high level of guardianship, thus inhibiting crime. On the other hand, a high density poverty area will incorporate in its lifestyle incentives for predatory behaviours and disincentives for guardianship, given the hazards associated with confronting criminals (on their turf) or witnessing criminal acts.
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.
- Ronald Reagan

Re: 2A Reading List

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It appears that the Harvard Law Review is a student-run, non-peer-reviewed, partisan publication rather than an actual journal, and that the Kates/Mauser article isn't actually a study, but an opinion piece that misrepresents at least some of the studies cited. SNOPES gave it a thorough beating and that's driving me into a rabbit hole of fact-checking.


Has anyone read both The Founders' Second Amendment by Stephen P. Halbrook and The Founders' View of the Right to Bear Arms: A Definitive History of the Second Amendment by David E. Young? I'm reading Halbrook now, as well as Young's The Origin of the Second Amendment, and wondered if I should add Young's history to the pile as well? Thanks!

ETA...
Looks like Evo1 linked it earlier: viewtopic.php?f=40&t=22897#p348000
https://www.amazon.com/Origin-Second-Am ... 962366439/
The Origin of the Second Amendment: A Documentary History of the Bill of Rights in Commentaries on Liberty, Free Government & an Armed Populace 1787-1792 2nd Edition
This is an awesome book! Unlike every other book I've yet seen on either the 2A or the entire Bill of Rights, this book has no commentary, no modern opinions, no twists or turns of any 20th century court cases. The author has pulled together the existing writings on the Constitution and BoR as they relate to the 2A. Library of Congress, private collections, archives, etc. each have pieces but it was difficult for citizens to get their hands on these founding documents. When one reads the actual letters that flowed back and forth, read the arguments for and against the BoR, and read the reasons why we have the 2A that we have, they'll have no reason to look for any other interpretations (and if they do, they'll be able to spot those opinions that are trying to mislead). Highly recommended.
Last edited by AndyH on Tue Mar 06, 2018 10:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Re: 2A Reading List

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In the "Applied 2A" Category, these two "Ayoob books" appear to be must reads.

Some of the 'good stuff' is about when/where to carry and about judging when a true mortal threat exists. The even more useful info is the deep look into the laws of lethal force (including how they affect civilians and police differently), and the way the legal and judicial system works (or doesn't work...) after deadly force is used. The second book was published in 2014 and includes chapters on myths - including a hard look at 'stand your ground' laws and a section-by-section analysis of the Zimmerman trial after Trayvon Martin was killed.

IN THE GRAVEST EXTREME: The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection
https://www.amazon.com/Gravest-Extreme- ... 0936279001

DEADLY FORCE: Understanding Your Right To Self Defense
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1440240612

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General Gun Control

- Politicians Love Gun Control by The North Carolina Piece Corp [https://ncpiececorps.files.wordpress.co ... ntrol-1.pdf]

2A Focused: "Well Regulated Militia"

- The Lehr Und Wehr Verein and The Second Amendment - brief history of the legacy of the TRUE Illinois Militia - [http://chicagocrimescenes.blogspot.com/ ... econd.html]

- Arms, Anarchy and the Second Amendment by Dennis Henigan [http://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewconten ... ntext=vulr]

- The Right of the Workers to Assemble and Bear Arms by Stephen Halbrook [http://www.stephenhalbrook.com/law_revi ... resser.PDF]
"We are for the freedom of all and for free agreement, which will be there for all when no one has the means to force others, and all are involved in the good running of society."
- E. Malatesta
Neither Democrats, nor Dictators: Anarchists

Re: 2A Reading List

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Even the original constitution, the Articles of Confederation , had gun rights.

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I must proof read more

Re: 2A Reading List

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kr0ptkin wrote:- The Right of the Workers to Assemble and Bear Arms by Stephen Halbrook [http://www.stephenhalbrook.com/law_revi ... resser.PDF]
The Fourteenth Amendment provides in pertinent part: "No state shall make or enforce any law
which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive
any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its
jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
That's a good one. I can't put it down--which sux because my computer is heavy. :ninja: Thought I'd pop in and say it rocks, then go back to reading.

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