MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'gun control'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:49:10 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181765&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fr0cNjxl2pWc%2F By David RittgersThe controversy over the ATF’s ill-conceived scheme to “walk” guns across the border with Mexico finally resulted in the removal of one high-ranking official: Acting Director Kenneth Melson. The U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, Todd Jones, will fill the position for now. A quick review:  ATF supervisors ordered agents to facilitate firearm sales to known or suspected “straw buyers” that intended to move the guns across the border and give them to drug cartels. Gun dealers in the U.S. reported the suspicious transactions to the ATF, expecting to cooperate in apprehending the gunrunners. As it turns out, the suspect buyers had disqualifying conditions that should have shown up in federally mandated instant background checks…but didn’t. The firearms trafficked acro... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181765 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:24:18 +0100 5181765 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118610&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Ffr7x6uGcJwg%2F By Daniel J. MitchellI wrote earlier this year about the connection between a morally corrupt welfare state and the riots in the United Kingdom. But what’s happening now is not just some left-wing punks engaging in political street theater. Instead, the UK is dealing with a bigger problem of societal decay caused in part by a government’s failure to fulfill one of its few legitimate functions: protection of property. To make matters worse, the political class has disarmed law-abiding people, thus exacerbating the risks. These two photos are a pretty good summary of what this means. On the left, we have Korean entrepreneurs using guns to defend themselves from murdering thugs during the 1992 LA riots. On the right, we have Turkish entrepreneurs reduced to using their fists (and some hid... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118610 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:31:49 +0100 5118610 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050528&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FA2jMgd6qwKA%2F Three years after the Supreme Court’s  landmark Heller ruling, which declared Washington, D.C.’s gun control laws unconstitutional, city officials keep fighting.  Under pressure from another lawsuit concerning a de facto ban, the city says that guns may now be purchased at the police station.  No details yet on whether residents will have to change into orange jump suits and wait in the holding cells while the police process the paperwork. More here. Guns in D.C. is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050528 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:45:36 +0100 5050528 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4767978&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F7p080FTqR24%2F By David RittgersThe Good: Congressional investigators are in Arizona to gather information on the ATF’s ill-conceived “Gunwalker” operation that supplied Mexican drug cartels with weapons. As I wrote at National Review, street agents objected from the beginning, but were told in no uncertain terms to pipe down: Agents raised warnings to their superiors about the quantity of sales and the rising violence across the border, but were told that the operation had been approved at ATF headquarters. They were also told that if they didn’t like it, they were welcome to seek employment at the Maricopa County jail as detention officers making $30,000 a year. I’d like to think that investigators will find that managerial incompetence was the culprit and not intentional facilitation of ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4767978 Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:41:19 +0100 4767978 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704624&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FTI0rIAQ1l5s%2F By Tim LynchFrom today’s Washington Post: During his campaign, Obama supported reintroducing the lapsed assault weapon ban, promised to eliminate an amendment requiring the FBI to destroy records of gun buyers’ background checks and advocated closing the gun-show loophole. Since taking office, the president has done none of that, and before the midterm elections, he shelved a proposal requiring gun dealers to report bulk sales of high-powered semiautomatic rifles. In his State of the Union address, just weeks after the Giffords shooting in January, Obama made no mention of guns. … Other leading Democrats, even those traditionally willing to offer full-throated support for gun-control efforts, have grown surprisingly less vocal as they take on more of a national role. The Dems... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704624 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:44:07 +0100 4704624 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532190&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fr9Nm4-WAS3U%2F By David RittgersYou are probably familiar with the story of Brian Aitken, the responsible gun owner wrongly convicted of violating New Jersey’s draconian gun laws. Governor Chris Christie commuted Aitken’s sentence, and his appeal is still pending. As Radley Balko often says, libertarianism happens to people. It happened to Brian Aitken: Aitken never thought of himself as a libertarian, but two years in the clutches of the state system has changed him completely. Before the arrest, the young, apolitical entrepreneur was on his way to a successful career in digital marketing. “I never considered myself a person who is really interested in politics,” Aitken says. “But after all this happened I am definitely a hardcore libertarian now.” Read the whole thing. Libertarianism Happen... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4532190 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 21:15:25 +0100 4532190 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4464478&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FPwvTdIA2lJ0%2F By Tim LynchInstead of directing their energies on gun control, P. J. O'Rourke says liberals might want to focus on the real source of violence in our society and propose some "Young Man Controls," such as longer young man waiting periods and young man registration. Not a ban, but common sense young man controls.   Hey, there's already some movement in that direction—in the crucial pre-young man phase. For Cato work on gun control, go here. Young Man Control is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4464478 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:11:08 +0100 4464478 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4455255&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FoGphyKl99-g%2F By Tim LynchThe Washington Post has an interesting article about what has happened in the city since the Supreme Court declared the city's gun ban unconstitutional in the landmark Heller decision in 2008.  Basically, hundreds of residents have registered thousands of firearms. More than 2 years have passed and the predicted mayhem is not here. DC Mayor Fenty called the court ruling an "outrage" and said the ban was necessary to stop residents from intentionally or accidentally killing one another.  Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign says the debate over the ban is not over yet.  Several more years of data gathering will be necessary.  And so the debate rolls on! For more on this subject, check out the Cato book on the Heller case,  Gun Control on Trial  by Brian Doherty.  Still more ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4455255 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 17:06:39 +0100 4455255 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4450277&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FoGphyKl99-g%2F By Tim LynchThe Washington Post has an interesting article about what has happened in the city since the Supreme Court declared the city's gun ban unconstitutional in the landmark Heller decision in 2008.  Basically, hundreds of residents have registered thousands of firearms. More than 2 years have passed and the predicted mayhem is not here. DC Mayor Fenty called the court ruling an "outrage" and said the ban was necessary to stop residents from intentionally or accidentally killing one another.  Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign says the debate over the ban is not over yet.  Several more years of data gathering will be necessary.  And so the debate rolls on! For more on this subject, check out the Cato book on the Heller case,  Gun Control on Trial  by Brian Doherty.  Still more ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4450277 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 17:06:39 +0100 4450277 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4300538&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FragwRUADhy8%2F By David RittgersThat’s the only message I can take away from the ATF proposal to require Federal Firearm License (FFL) holders to report the sale of two or more semiautomatic rifles that accept detachable magazines in states along the border with Mexico. In other words, this is gun control for the sake of Mexico. Thing is, the proposal breaks the law. The ATF doesn’t have the authority to do this. As David Hardy notes at Of Arms & the Law: There are several violations of the Gun Control Act, as amended by the Firearm Owners’ Protection Act. First, 18 USC §926(b) provides “The Attorney General shall give not less than ninety days public notice, and shall afford interested parties opportunity for hearing, before prescribing such rules and regulations.” This is str... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4300538 Thu, 30 Dec 2010 16:12:40 +0100 4300538 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4277818&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FCn2VmIrRHiY%2F By David RittgersNew Jersey Governor Chris Christie has commuted the seven-year sentence of Brian Aitken, the man wrongfully convicted on firearms charges under that state’s draconian gun laws. Good. While a full pardon seems more appropriate – the judge in this case should have given the jury instructions on the “moving exception” that protected Aitken – this is at least recognition of an injustice and relief for one man and his family. The New Jersey state judicial system’s webpage describes the grand jury’s function as “a screening mechanism to protect citizens from unfounded charges.” That didn’t happen in this case. For more on this phenomenon, read this Cato Policy Analysis, “A Grand Façade: How the Grand Jury Was Captured by the Government.” For more Cato wo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4277818 Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:29:49 +0100 4277818 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265695&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FI4N5Kv7l0Rw%2F By David RittgersIn a recent post I discussed the plight of Brian Aitken, a New Jersey resident currently serving seven years in prison. Thing is, it’s not clear that Aitken broke the law. Radley Balko produced an excellent write-up of Aitken’s case, and Glenn Reynolds put together a video. Aitken’s conviction is the product of (1) New Jersey’s draconian gun laws; (2) a lack of prosecutorial discretion that should have focused resources on real threats to society; and (3) a judge’s refusal to issue jury instructions on the “moving exception” to New Jersey’s gun laws. The same judge dismissed animal cruelty charges against a police officer that had placed his penis in the mouths of five calves. The judge was serving in a temporary capacity and not reappointed by Governor Chr... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265695 Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:00:47 +0100 4265695 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4225224&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F02wUUY9gpag%2F By David RittgersBrian Aitken, a finance student at NYU and economic scholar at the Foundation of Economic Education, ran afoul of New Jersey’s draconian gun laws when he was arrested while transporting two handguns unloaded and locked in the trunk of his car. After separating from his wife in 2008, Aitken moved from Colorado to his native home of New Jersey the end of that year, to be closer to his son. Shortly thereafter, in January 2009, Aitken – according to one account – “became distraught, muttered something to his mother, and left his parents’ home in Mount Laurel, NJ,” after his ex-wife canceled a visit with their son. At that point, his mother, who is a trained social worker, called the police out of concern. That’s when things went downhill for Aitken. After the pol... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4225224 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 20:38:05 +0100 4225224 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3784240&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FWCYyVn6vhJg%2F By David RittgersThat’s the message of my recent op-ed in the Daily Caller. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s initial reaction to the McDonald v. City of Chicago decision was to say that McDonald would have no impact on government’s ability to keep guns “out of the hands of criminals and terrorists.” This was a reference to legislation that Bloomberg supports that would allow the federal government to bar anyone the Attorney General thinks is a terrorist from purchasing a firearm. Not convicted of a crime in support of terrorism — that would make them a felon and already unable to purchase or own a firearm. No, being suspected of activity in support of or preparation for terrorism means you get the same treatment as if you were a convicted felon or had been involunta... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3784240 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:24:13 +0100 3784240 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3746723&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fsys1uTe-o4M%2F By Jim HarperThe ACLU is representing several plaintiffs in a recently filed lawsuit challenging the U.S. government’s ”No Fly” list. The video in this “Blog of Rights” post tells the story of two of the plaintiffs. “I wanna go home!” laughs U.S. Marine veteran Ayman Latif. “I wanna see my mom. I want her to see my babies.” No-fly listing is a constitutional aberration in which the executive branch unilaterally imposes a disability on persons it selects using unpublished criteria. It often denies these individuals any recourse by obscuring the reasons why they aren’t permitted to fly. Bills in the House and Senate would extend the use of the “no-fly” list to use in gun control. There is no way to clear up the “n... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3746723 Mon, 12 Jul 2010 16:37:51 +0100 3746723 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3690825&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FjzAYlRUzEhc%2F By David BoazJohn Stossel’s weekly show has a new time: 9 p.m. and midnight every Thursday on the Fox Business Network, plus Fridays at 10 p.m., Saturdays at 9 p.m. and 12 midnight, and Sundays at 10 p.m. (Don’t get Fox Business? Tell your cable company you want Stossel!) On this week’s show Stossel will interview 76-year-old Otis McDonald about his lawsuit seeking the right to protect himself with a gun, which is now before the Supreme Court. He’ll also talk to John Lott about the new edition of his book More Guns, Less Crime. While you’re waiting for Thursday night, check out Stossel’s show on Milton Friedman, which featured interviews with Johan Norberg, Tom Palmer, and me. Or indeed his classic ABC special on politics and limited government, where I ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3690825 Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:49:49 +0100 3690825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3676648&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FCCvYxJDKsYg%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThis is not a story from The Onion… The Associated Press reports that a school in Rhode Island prohibited eight-year-old David Morales from wearing a hat that he decorated with toy soldiers that…gasp…had tiny little plastic weapons. According to school administrators, the hat violates a “no weapons” policy. Here’s the relevant section of the report: Christan Morales said her son just wanted to honor American troops when he wore a hat to school decorated with an American flag and small plastic Army figures. But the school banned the hat because it ran afoul of the district’s zero-tolerance weapons policy. Why? The toy soldiers were carrying tiny guns. “His teacher called and said it wasn’t appropriate,” Mora... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3676648 Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:16:47 +0100 3676648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3487037&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRfts-SGcthQ%2F By Roger PilonOpposition is building to the proposed D.C. Voting Rights Act because it also restricts D.C.’s draconian gun-control laws. Mary G. Wilson, president of the League of Women Voters of the United States, and Billie Day, president of the League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia, said today that “asking citizens to sacrifice their safety in order to have representation in Congress is unacceptable.” And on NPR’s Morning Edition today, we heard the thoughts of D.C. councilwoman Mary Cheh, my con law professor: “I would rather wait to eternity before I bow down to the gun lobby and say ‘The only way I’m gonna get this is if we give up the right to protect ourselves.’” The District’s gun laws protect us? By keeping guns out of the hands of crimina... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3487037 Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:58:47 +0100 3487037 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3378455&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FuR2h8bysNck%2F By David RittgersAs I previously noted, one of the areas where enforcement of the right to keep and bear arms will impact states and localities is in the carrying of handguns, either open or concealed. Until then, handgun carry proponents will be forced to comply with state laws that mandate open carry where concealed handgun permits are not issued or are only issued to those who happen to have fame, money, or political connections. Wisconsin is one of two states with no provision for concealed carry (Illinois is the other). Frank Hannon-Rock, a member of Wisconsin Carry, a pro-gun rights organization, was arrested for open carrying on his front porch. He filed suit and was recently awarded $10,000 by a federal district court. This parallels (but does not equal) the experience of Danladi M... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3378455 Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:20:30 +0100 3378455 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3354304&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FZ8_JCL0HA_4%2F By David RittgersI recently appeared on the Patt Morrison Show in southern California opposite Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence in a segment that begs the question of what gun control laws will look like if the Supreme Court incorporates the Second Amendment with the McDonald v. Chicago case. The audio of the program is here, but the issue merits a more detailed discussion than I could get into on the radio. The litigation over the boundaries of the Second Amendment in the District of Columbia previews the kinds of gun laws that will face court scrutiny. First, certain restrictions on the purchase of firearms will likely be overturned. California maintains a “safe gun roster” of handguns that manufacturers have successfully submitted for safety testing. Followi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3354304 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:45:29 +0100 3354304 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3272966&cid=t_112562_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F02%2F15%2Fthe-situation-of-scientific-consensus%2F Situationist Contributor Dan Kahan, Hank Jenkins-Smith, and Donald Braman, have just posted another fascinating paper, “Cultural Cognition of Scientific Consensus” on SSRN.  Here’s the abstract. * * * Why do members of the public disagree – sharply and persistently – about facts on which expert scientists largely agree? We designed a study to test a distinctive explanation: the cultural cognition of scientific consensus. The “cultural cognition of risk” refers to the tendency of individuals to form risk perceptions that are congenial to their values. The study presents both correlational and experimental evidence confirming that cultural cognition shapes individuals’ beliefs about the existence of scientific consensus, and the process by which they for... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3272966 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:01:09 +0100 3272966 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3075483&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FMTDefxxybWI%2F By Julian SanchezA modest proposal: Suppose that we decide to streamline our inefficient criminal justice system by treating people under suspicion of involvement with violent crime—whether or not they’ve been arrested, charged, or even informed of this suspicion—as equivalent to convicted felons.  Suppose, then, that we permit them to be stripped of certain constitutionally protected rights at the discretion of the executive branch. Outrageous?  Some depraved brainchild of the Bush administration’s Office of Legal Counsel?  Actually, it’s the editorial position of The New York Times: Under federal law, people who pose a heightened risk of violence cannot buy or own firearms, including convicted felons, domestic abusers, the seriously mentally ill and several other... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3075483 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:40:43 +0100 3075483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3023104&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFdQ86luyMYg%2F Steve Chapman has another terrific column — this one about gun regulations and the tendency of politicians to exempt themselves from such regulations — for the public good, of course.  Here’s an excerpt: Roland Burris, another Chicagoan, has endorsed a nationwide ban on handguns and, in 1993, organized Chicago’s first Gun Turn-in Day. But the following year, while running unsuccessfully for governor, he admitted he owned a handgun — “for protection,” he explained — and hadn’t seen fit to turn it in along with those other firearms. Lesser mortals apparently can protect themselves with forks and spoons. The Supreme Court will soon be hearing an important case about Chicago’s firearm regulations and the right to keep and bear arms... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3023104 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:05:08 +0100 3023104 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3003726&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FOsCNVVsWZh4%2F A former soldier in England has been arrested and convicted (and may even go to jail for five years) because he found a gun in his yard and he turned it over to the police. I presume this is in part a reflection of the anti-gun ideology embedded in UK law, but don’t prosecutors and judges have even a shred of discretion to avoid foolish prosecutions and/or protect innocent people from absurd charges? Here is the news report: A former soldier who handed a discarded shotgun in to police faces at least five years imprisonment for “doing his duty”. Paul Clarke, 27, was found guilty of possessing a firearm at Guildford Crown Court on Tuesday – after finding the gun and handing it personally to police officers on March 20 this year. The jury took 20 minutes to make its convi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3003726 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:38:31 +0100 3003726 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2977263&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FMKdMzR_2CCI%2F The country is unpacking the recent shooting at Fort Hood and analyzing the perpetrator intensely. Along with natural shock and curiosity, a principle reason for doing so is to discover what can prevent incidents like this in the future. When faced with any risk, including rampaging gunmen, there are four options: Prevention—the alteration of the target or its circumstances to diminish the risk of the bad thing happening. Interdiction—any confrontation with, or influence exerted on, an attacker to eliminate or limit its movement toward causing harm. Mitigation—preparation so that, in the event of the bad thing happening, its consequences are reduced. Acceptance—a rational alternative often chosen when the threat has low probability, low consequence, or both. (Ther... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2977263 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:51:16 +0100 2977263 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2916089&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FxHm4oSQtou0%2F I was unimpressed with the security arguments made by the chairman and ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee in a letter to appropriators the other week. Citing the “commando-style” terrorist raid on a train station in Mumbai last year, the letter objected to language in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act that would require Amtrak to allow firearms in checked luggage. But the risk of a commando-style raid does not support—in fact it undermines—the authors’ argument that weapons should be banned on passenger trains. With law-abiding citizens fully disarmed, any terrorist raiders would know that they are more free to cut a deadly swath through an innocent population. It was counterattack b... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2916089 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:38:32 +0100 2916089 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2858619&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FV_H28xZdTMg%2F When Samuel Johnson said that ”patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel,” he overlooked the value of the word “reform.” (I didn’t say this first, but I can’t discover who did.) Webster’s says that “reform” means “to put or change into an improved form or condition [or] to amend or improve by change of form or removal of faults or abuses.” So in political terms, a reform is a change for the better. But whether a particular policy change would actually improve things is often controversial. Unfortunately, the mainstream media typically use the word “reform” to mean “change in a liberal direction.” It’s bad enough that they constantly use the phrase “campaign finance reform” to re... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2858619 Sat, 03 Oct 2009 21:51:42 +0100 2858619 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2591424&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Ff3XMhqar79Y%2F Last year, the Supreme Court declared the D.C.’s gun control law unconstitutional (pdf).  Now a federal appellate court has unanimously declared that D.C. police’s aggressive ”Neighborhood Safety Zone” (NSZ) checkpoint policy is unconstitutional (pdf).  Under the policy, any vehicle entering an area that has been declared a “Neighborhood Safety Zone” by the city’s police chief can be “stopped for the purpose of determining whether the driver has a legitimate reason for entering the NSZ.” Here’s an excerpt from the appelate court decision: We further conclude that appellants have sufficiently demonstrated irreparable injury, particularly in light of their strong likelihood of success on the merits. … The harm to the ri... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2591424 Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:22:35 +0100 2591424 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2458151&cid=t_112562_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F06%2F06%2Fthe-situation-of-handguns-on-urban-streets-abstract%2F David Kairys has recently posted his fascinating essay, “Why Are Handguns So Accessible on Urban Streets?” (forthcoming in Against the Wall: Poor, Young, Black, and Male (Elijah Anderson, ed., Penn Press, 2008) on SSRN.  Here’s the abstract. * * * This short essay explains why it is easier for young black men in many poor, urban areas to obtain a handgun than an up-to-date school textbook or a regular job. A chapter of Against the Wall: Poor, Young, Black and Male, edited by Elijah Anderson with other chapters by Cornel West, William Julius Wilson, and Douglas Massey, the analysis focuses on handgun marketing and distribution and addresses the social and political context that yields easy availability of handguns. Under federal law and the laws of most states, any person... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2458151 Sat, 06 Jun 2009 04:27:01 +0100 2458151 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2398594&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FNhy_ss5eFls%2F There is a new review of Brian Doherty’s book, Gun Control on Trial: Inside the Supreme Court Battle over the Second Amendment, over at The American Spectator. The review captures the uphill battle that the Heller litigants faced in the District of Columbia: When an employee on the Taxicab Commission once suggested that taxicab drivers be able to arm themselves for self- defense, a spokesman for then mayor Anthony Williams said, “The proposal is nutty, and obviously, it would not be entertained seriously by any thinking person.” After D.C. readjusted its laws in the wake of Heller so that guns were no longer prohibited but regulated to the point of making ownership exceedingly difficult, Mayor Adrian Fenty justified it thusly: “I don’t think [the people of D.C... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2398594 Thu, 07 May 2009 18:41:23 +0100 2398594 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2255975&cid=t_112562_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FfxWpmP5My60%2F Here’s a few bloggers who are writing, citing and linking to Cato research and commentary: Blogging from the 2009 International Conference on Climate Change, The Foundry’s Nick Loris covers Patrick J. Michaels’s lecture on an EPA program that will “circumvent Congressional legislation to curb greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and regulate carbon dioxide.” Natch Greyes pens his thoughts on Thursday’s  book forum featuring Patrick J. Michaels’s new book, Climate of Extremes: Global Warming Science They Don’t Want You to Know. Dan Kenitz cites an article by David Lamp0 on gun control. David Kirkpatrick links to Richard W. Rahn’s op-ed in The Washington Times about the increasing loss of liberty in the United Kingdom. Free-market energy... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2255975 Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:38:31 +0100 2255975 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1419708&cid=t_112562_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F05%2F04%2Fthe-second-national-risk-and-culture-study-abstract%2F Situationist contributor Dan Kahan, Donald Braman, Situationist contributor Paul Slovic, John Gastil, and Geoffrey Cohen posted their paper, “The Second National Risk and Culture Study: Making Sense of - and Making Progress In - The American Culture War of Fact” on SSRN. We’ve pasted the abstract below. * * * Cultural Cognition refers to the disposition to conform one’s beliefs about societal risks to one’s preferences for how society should be organized. Based on surveys and experiments involving some 5,000 Americans, the Second National Risk and Culture Study presents empirical evidence of the effect of this dynamic in generating conflict about global warming, school shootings, domestic terrorism, nanotechnology, and the mandatory vaccination of school-age g... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1419708 Sun, 04 May 2008 21:00:20 +0100 1419708 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=551063&cid=t_112562_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F4%2F17%2Fthe-virginia-tech-massacre-the-hopeful-perspective.html The horrific events at Virginia Tech fills every decent human being with a profound sense of sorrow and a feeling of frustration: What can we do about it? When is it all going to end, if ever? I found myself searching history for answers from the point of view of a scientist. The history of suppression of  knowledge.  There have always been  authoritarians, religious fanatics, the State,  charlatans—conspiring to deprive us of the truth so as to perpetuate their hold on power and lucre. This phenomenon reaches as far back as biblical times; we read about the first set of ‘spies’ Moses sent to scout the land of Canaan. They gave him a truthful report about the harshness of the land and the misery of its inhabitants, a message he... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=551063 Tue, 17 Apr 2007 23:31:21 +0100 551063 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=547933&cid=t_112562_117_f&fid=34612&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedoctorweighsin.com%2Fjournal%2F2007%2F4%2F16%2Fgun-massacre-on-campus-again.html "When will we ever learn?"Every time we have a mass murder related to guns, talking heads on TV start out by saying that it is the easy accessibility of guns in this country that makes violence so deadly. [The United States has a higher rates of firearm ownership than do other developed nations, and higher rates of homicide.] Then slowly, but persistently, the "pro-guns for everyone" folks mouth some variant of the NRA message that guns don’t kill, people do. Yes, I agree, mass murderers can still wreak havoc even in the absence of guns. But, let’s get real…how many people could a killer kill if he only had a knife? In the case of today’s horrendous crime on the Virginia Tech campus, I would suggest that it is highly unlikely that 33 young colle... The Doctor Weighs In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=547933 Tue, 17 Apr 2007 03:14:57 +0100 547933