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'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:04:33 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181765&cid=t_160913_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_160913_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_160913_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=4794858&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-nra-wants-to-prevent-physicians-from-asking-their-patients-about-guns%2F2011.05.06 Should the government be able to dictate to a doctor what he or she is allowed to discuss with a patient? Yes, says the National Rifle Association (NRA), which is pushing state legislation to prohibit physicians from asking patients about firearms in their homes. An NRA-supported bill in Florida originally would have made it a criminal offense—punishable by fines and/or jail—if physicians asked a patient about firearms. The Florida Medical Association (FMA) fiercely opposed the bill as an intrusion on the physician-patient relationship. Now, a compromise has been reached between the NRA and the FMA that “allow doctors to ask questions about gun ownership, as long as the physician doesn’t ‘harass’ the patient, and doesn’t enter the information into the patient’s record witho... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4794858 Fri, 06 May 2011 19:00:00 +0100 4794858 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4767978&cid=t_160913_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_160913_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=4560249&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FOrBan6QDHlc%2F By David BoazAt the Britannica Blog I write: Many commentators have seen a shift to the right in American politics over the past two years — the reaction to spending, bailouts, and Obamacare; the rise in conservative self-identification in polls; the 2010 elections. But there’s another trend going on as well. I described it in 2009 as a “civil liberties surge.” And this week there’s new evidence. A new study from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds long-term growth in support for legal abortion, gun rights, marijuana legalization, and gay marriage. The graphs on all these topics from Pew are pretty impressive, as is another one from the General Social Survey included in the Britannica post. I go on to note: These new poll results should be no surprise. Pa... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560249 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 16:06:57 +0100 4560249 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532190&cid=t_160913_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_160913_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=4464483&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F8TFeNGGT_zw%2F By Michael F. CannonIt's good news for residents of Washington, D.C., that Wal-Mart is planning on opening four stores in the District. Yet Washington Post columnist Robert McCartney reports today on one curious source of opposition: "There'll probably be a lot of shoplifting going on. They'll need a lot of security," Terriea Sutton, 35, said. Brenda Speaks, a Ward 4 ANC commissioner, actually urged blocking construction of the planned store in her ward at Georgia and Missouri avenues NW partly because of that risk. Addressing a small, anti-Wal-Mart rally at City Hall on Monday, Speaks said young people would get criminal records when they couldn't resist the temptation to steal. Of course, that's a rationale for banning all stores, not just Wal-Mart. Perhaps we should isolate these you... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4464483 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 13:29:50 +0100 4464483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4455255&cid=t_160913_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_160913_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=4419145&cid=t_160913_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FapjEoRqF6DY%2F ZDoggMD recently parodied the stereotype of the adrenaline-fueled ER doc. There's no truth to it, is there? Maybe you haven't heard of Deniz Tek? (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419145 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 01:59:52 +0100 4419145 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4338027&cid=t_160913_109_f&fid=34788&url=http%3A%2F%2Firvingpsychiatrist.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fsig-sauer-p226-was-recommended-over.html The Sig Sauer P226 was recommended over the Glock. The first comment on this article reports that Sheriff Dupnik seems to have done a poor job of controlling crime in his county. It would be nice if it were possible to get a restraining order, restraining the purchase or possession of firearms when someone is mentally ill and dangerous but not to the point of being committable. I'm not a supporter of S. Palin for national elective office, but I think she has been deft with the phrase 'blood libel.' (Source: a psychiatrist who learned from veterans) a psychiatrist who learned from veterans blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4338027 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4338027 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4300538&cid=t_160913_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_160913_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_160913_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_160913_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=4133856&cid=t_160913_109_f&fid=38951&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fis-your-doctor-return-on-investment.html Ever since ProPublica published its disturbing database called Dollars for Docs, there have been many local news stories written about hired gun physicians who take money from drug companies to promote drugs to other doctors. A particularly good one was published yesterday in the SentinelSource by the Chicago Tribune's Judith Graham.The Tribune interviewed about a dozen physicians who make thousands per year from drug company talks, and, according to Graham, "all said they believe such ties have no effect on their medical practices."But Graham also interviewed a former drug rep, who provided the unvarnished and rather ugly truth about how these apparently well-meaning doctors are actually being manipulated by their handlers: "Angie Maher, a former Michigan drug sales representative turned ... The Carlat Psychiatry Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133856 Thu, 04 Nov 2010 13:41:00 +0100 4133856 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3976539&cid=t_160913_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F09%2F17%2Fandrew-papachristos-explains-why-criminals-obey-the-law-video%2F Last fall, the HLS Student Association for Law and Mind Sciences (SALMS) hosted a fascinating talk by Professor  Andrew Papachristos entitled “Why Do Criminals Obey the Law: The Influence of Law and Social Networks on Active Gun Users.”  You can read the abstract for the talk and watch the video below. * * * Our findings suggest that while criminals as a whole have negative opinions of the law and legal authority, the sample of gun offenders (just like non-criminals) are more likely to comply with the law when they believe in (a) the substance of the law, and (b) the legitimacy of legal actors, especially the police. Moreover, we find that opinions of compliance to the law are not uniformly distributed across the sample population. In other words, not all criminals are alik... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3976539 Fri, 17 Sep 2010 04:01:00 +0100 3976539 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3866971&cid=t_160913_101_f&fid=38970&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwvmedicgirl.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fnewfound-hobby.html I have been playing with the idea of purchasing a handgun to learn how to shoot as a new hobby. I finally got the opportunity to get some hands on experience this week.Yesterday I had the opportunity to join a fellow paramedic friend of mine along with a gentleman who is well versed not only in the workings of the fire department for multiple decades but also in firearms. We drove out across the mountain to an outdoor range where I had the opportunity to try several different firearms. I tried both a 22 and 45 revolver, the 45 was much larger and heavier than the 22 and also packed a heck of a kick but it did have a scope on it which was pretty interesting. I also tried multiple semi-automatics to include a 22, a 40, a 45, and a 9mil. While these were all pretty similar in size, the 40 rea... Stephanie's Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3866971 Sat, 14 Aug 2010 20:54:00 +0100 3866971 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3831354&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fis-that-er-doctor-packin-a-smartphone-or-a-revolver%2F2010.08.06 I have a new “smartphone.” It’s a Droid from Verizon. Pretty cool. I like what it can do, though it tends to enable me tendency to chronically check my email. I like the features, between ease of texting, voice dialing, etc.  But it’s big, compared to me dear departed flipphone, whose corpse lies in state in my pickup truck. But I noticed one day, as I reached around my side, that the large phone now on my hip felt remarkably like my revolver. Odd feeling that. I was in public and I remember panicking, wondering if I had forgotten to conceal my concealed weapon for some reason. And as I pondered this, I realized that both represent fundamental differences in the way we view individuality. Maybe it’s a stretch, but I’m a writer so I’m supposed to stretch. (more... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3831354 Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:00:05 +0100 3831354 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3784240&cid=t_160913_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=3746719&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FKsgJiscueCg%2F By Walter OlsonJust before the holiday I sent off to Encounter Books the manuscript of my next book, tentatively titled Schools for Misrule: Law Schools and an Overlawyered America. One of the themes the book explores is how, after years of arguing that courts should read the U.S. Constitution as requiring the adoption of the liberal policy agenda of the moment (welfare rights, free health care, or whatever), cutting-edge law school thinking now promotes the idea that international human rights law requires the adoption of that same agenda. Thus the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in San Antonio v. Rodriguez (1973) and Milliken v. Bradley (1974) that the U.S. Constitution does not mandate (respectively) “Robin Hood” school finance redistribution and school busing across district lines... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3746719 Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:16:25 +0100 3746719 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3746723&cid=t_160913_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=3729861&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-JGDzc6MAE8%2F By Jeffrey A. MironThe Supreme Court ruled last week that state and city governments must respect the individual right to bear arms that is guaranteed by Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This ruling does not necessarily invalidate all gun control laws, but it will likely mean the demise of outright bans and restrict significantly the ability of states and cities to impose other kinds of controls. Advocates of gun control have decried the ruling because they believe guns cause crime and that gun control laws, by gun reducing gun availability, reduce crime. Regardless of the constitutional questions, however, both arguments for controls are flawed. Many crimes do not require an armed perpetrator, and numerous weapons can substitute for guns (knives, baseball bats, fists, bombs, cha... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3729861 Mon, 05 Jul 2010 12:31:19 +0100 3729861 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3706657&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FJBS3Qv-awdM%2F By Ilya ShapiroToday is a big victory for gun rights and a bigger one for liberty.  The Supreme Court has correctly decided that state actions violating the right to keep and bear arms are no more valid than those taken by the federal government. It could not have been otherwise: the Fourteenth Amendment, coming on the heels of the Civil War, says clearly that never again would the Constitution tolerate state oppressions, and that all individuals possess certain fundamental rights.  It is equally clear that the right to keep and bear arms is one of those deeply rooted fundamental rights, not least because the Framers thought so highly of it as to enumerate it in the Second Amendment. Still, Justice Alito’s plurality opinion leaves a lot to be desired, in that his ultimately correct con... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3706657 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:44:57 +0100 3706657 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3690825&cid=t_160913_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_160913_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=3644832&cid=t_160913_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F06%2F09%2Fmiddle-age-suicides-continue-to-rise%2F Suicides amongst the middle-aged — 45 to 54 year olds — continued to rise for the second straight year in a row, from 2006 to 2007 (the last year we have the final government data on). This means this age group enjoys the highest suicide rate in the U.S. The rate in 2007 was 17.6 per every 100,000 people, up from 17.2 per 100,000 people in 2006. Typically, according to the article in the New York Times, the eldest segment of the population — those 80 and older — suffers the highest suicide rate. Men typically commit suicide nearly four times as often as women, and most people who contemplate suicide would carry a depression diagnosis. Since 2000, the age-adjusted death rate for suicide has increased by 8.6 percent, according to the U.S. National Center for Health St... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3644832 Wed, 09 Jun 2010 10:00:38 +0100 3644832 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3542575&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQ12RTaZ9Aic%2F By Jim HarperThe Smoking Gun and Miami Herald report that a Miami International Airport TSA worker has been arrested for beating up a co-worker who joked about his endowment after observing the assailant walk through a whole-body imager or “strip-search machine.” (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3542575 Fri, 07 May 2010 14:22:14 +0100 3542575 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3487037&cid=t_160913_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_160913_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=3374111&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FI_SOJfqUdrQ%2F By Jim HarperI wrote some posts a few months ago (1, 2, 3) about the difficulty of discovering and preventing essentially random events like the Fort Hood shooting. I was pleased by the compliment security guru Bruce Schneier paid them in his recent post, “Small Planes and Lone Terrorist Nutcases.” (Such happy subject matter we get to write about!) Now comes Radley Balko with a great column illustrating what you get when authorities try to “get ahead” of this problem. “Pre-Crime Policing” tells the story of a gun buyer who had been tagged with the adjective “disgruntled.” A SWAT team appeared on his property, police tricked him into surrendering for a mental evaluation, they illegally entered his home, and they seized his guns. Says the ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3374111 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:53:31 +0100 3374111 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3354304&cid=t_160913_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=3326968&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fpu6A47dw764%2F By Ilya ShapiroThis morning the Court heard argument in McDonald v. Chicago, the case asking whether the right to keep and bear arms extends to protecting against actions by state and local governments.  Just as importantly, it asked whether the best way to extend that right would be through the Due Process Clause of Privileges or Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment (because the Second Amendment doesn’t apply directly to the states). From the initial questioning through the end, it was quite clear that those living in Chicago — and, by extension, New York, San Francisco, and other places with extreme gun restrictions — will soon be able to rest easy, knowing that they will be able to have guns with which to protect themselves.  Unfortunately, the Court did not... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3326968 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:21:27 +0100 3326968 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3322341&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FiVLwEQO_B2Y%2F By David BoazIn this NPR story Nina Totenberg gives both sides their say.  But twice she refers to the people advocating Second Amendment rights as “gun advocates” (and once as “gun rights advocates”). That’s not the language NPR uses in other such cases. In 415 NPR stories on abortion, I found only one reference to “abortion advocates,” in 2005. There are far more references, hundreds more, to “abortion rights,” “reproductive rights,” and “women’s rights.” And certainly abortion-rights advocates would insist that they are not “abortion advocates,” they are advocates for the right of women to choose whether or not to have an abortion. NPR grants them the respect of characterizing them the way t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3322341 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:54:10 +0100 3322341 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3294577&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FG5Ywbz_sAVY%2F Discussion of McDonald and “Keeping Pandora’s Box Sealed” (sponsored by the GJLPP and the Federalist Society) Mar. 3 at 12pm – Cato Institute Hill Briefing in B-340 Rayburn House Office Building - “McDonald v. Chicago: The Fourteenth Amendment and the Future of Gun Rights“ You can also listen here to a half-hour podcast about “Keeping Pandora’s Box Sealed” that I recently recorded with the Independence Institute’s David Kopel (also a Cato associate policy analyst). (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3294577 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:38:53 +0100 3294577 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3272966&cid=t_160913_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=3115063&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FCg99iEDINCI%2F By Julian SanchezBy now, you’ve probably heard the story—and seen the video.  During the weekend’s Snowpocalypse™ in DC, a gaggle of young urbanites, using Twitter and other social media, announced a big group snowball fight at the corner of 14th and U Streets.  For a while, it was all good fun, with the participants periodically stopping the skirmish to help dislodge a motorist for a snowdrift, amid collective cheers. But an off-duty plainclothes cop whose Hummer had been hit by a few snowballs lost his cool—and advanced on the crowd to berate them with his gun drawn. You’d think an angry, out-of-uniform guy brandishing a gun might set off a dangerous stampede in the snow, but true to form, the DC crowd responded with chanting: “You don’t bring a gun ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3115063 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:08:05 +0100 3115063 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3075483&cid=t_160913_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_160913_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_160913_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_160913_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_160913_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=2865617&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=34872&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blisstree.com%2Fhealthbolt%2Fduh-study-carrying-gun-ups-shooting-risk%2F Ok, I have the first in Healthbolt’s Duh Study File. I had a Duh Study File in Blisstree’s Condition and Disease blog, if you want to read more of them. Duh studies are studies that make me wonder one of a few things: *WHY* did they waste time and/or money on this? Who the heck doesn’t know that already? How on earth did the researchers get funding for this study? And this helps us how? Today’s Duh Study is that carrying a gun increases your chance of being shot. Really. According to a study done by a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, people who carry guns are 4.5 times as likely to be shot and 4.2 times as likely to get killed compared with unarmed citizens. When the team looked at shootings in which victims had a chance to defend themselves, their od... Healthbolt blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2865617 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:03:42 +0100 2865617 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2858619&cid=t_160913_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=2851749&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FxSzRo3XvKyE%2F With its decision today to hear the case of McDonald v. Chicago, the Supreme Court should settle the question of whether states must recognize the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. In June of 2008, in District of Columbia v. Heller, the Court found, for the first time, that the federal government must recognize the Second Amendment right of individuals, quite apart from their belonging to a militia, to have an operational firearm in their home. But the decision left open the question whether states were similarly bound. Thus, the so-called incorporation doctrine will be at issue in this case – the question of whether the Fourteenth Amendment “incorporates” the guarantees of the Bill of Rights against the states. The Bill of Rights applied originally only against the feder... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2851749 Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:49:36 +0100 2851749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2757726&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FsGdnKQU7bHo%2F A Washington Post reporter describes the rigmarole Washington D.C. residents must endure to purchase a gun and keep it in one’s home for purposes of self-defense. Snippet: It took $833.69, a total of 15 hours 50 minutes, four trips to the Metropolitan Police Department, two background checks, a set of fingerprints, a five-hour class and a 20-question multiple-choice exam. It’s a fair-minded article–not only about the government regulations, but also the factors that play into the decision to keep a gun–risk of crime, risk of accident, the personal willingness to use deadly force (not to mention getting approval from the spouse!) Cato Chairman Bob Levy, the prime mover of the landmark Heller ruling, discusses the next legal fight: Whether one can carry a firearm outs... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2757726 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:13:10 +0100 2757726 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2715923&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-7W3ksPPYwI%2F The health care debate has catalyzed a wonderful national clash of cultures centering on freedom versus control. Here’s one example that’s both complex and delightful. Progressive site TalkingPointsMemo ran a story yesterday about a man named “Chris” who carried a rifle outside an event in Phoenix at which President Obama appeared. “We will forcefully resist people imposing their will on us through the strength of the majority with a vote,” Chris said. To many TPM readers, this kind of thing is self-evidently shocking and wrong: Carrying a weapon is inherently threatening, Second Amendment notwithstanding. And vowing to resist the properly expressed will of the majority—isn’t that an outrageous denial of our democratic values? Well, . . . No.... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2715923 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:19:49 +0100 2715923 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2641339&cid=t_160913_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F07%2F27%2Fgive-me-the-gun-when-suicidal-ideations-take-over%2F I have been thinking about this question ever since I read it on a discussion thread in Group Beyond Blue. Meg writes: So, my husband has shown interest in getting a handgun permit. It’s the South, and lots of people have them. I don’t have an issue with the concept of it. He wants to take the class and is really responsible about it. He doesn’t hunt and isn’t a “war games” kind of guy or a gun fanatic. Then I told him that a stipulation would be that when we had children, the way the gun was stored would need to be open to discussion. We would need to agree on a safe way to handle it based on the relative risks involved. He’s fine with that. I next suggested that he look up some gun stores or ranges to call about lessons. I think it was the phrase... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2641339 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:35:34 +0100 2641339 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2591424&cid=t_160913_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=2527765&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FkBRHPUtVinA%2F One year ago today, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in District of Columbia et al. v. Heller. The decision affirmed the Second Amendment as protecting an individual right to keep and bear arms and invalidated the District of Columbia’s draconian gun control regime. The case generated a storm of media attention. The Cato Institute filed an amicus brief, one of nearly four dozen in the case. The Cato Institute held a forum for Brian Doherty’s book chronicling this victory for liberty, Gun Control on Trial: Inside the Supreme Court Battle Over the Second Amendment. The Heller case also figured prominently in Cato multimedia from Robert A. Levy and Clark Neily. Heller did not settle all of the questions related to the right to keep and bear arms. The incorporation of the... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2527765 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:40:19 +0100 2527765 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2510278&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-BJR1SisED8%2F A media drumbeat is steadily building to keep those on the government’s terrorist watch list from buying firearms. A month ago, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) introduced a bill to bar them from purchasing a gun even if they had no legally disqualifying criminal conviction. Now Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) has introduced his own legislation to achieve the same goal. This is arbitrary government at its best. The “no-fly” list used to prevent suspected terrorists from boarding aircraft has tagged Nelson Mandela, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Rep. Don Young (R-AK), Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), a retired general, a Marine reservist returning from Iraq, the President of Bolivia and dead 9/11 hijackers, a former federal prosecutor, and over twenty men named John... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2510278 Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:55:39 +0100 2510278 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2458151&cid=t_160913_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=2416799&cid=t_160913_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FrZASRIzMXRQ%2F As I have noted before, “gun free” zones are an exercise in fantasy. To some, a place without guns sounds like a great place to live.  Unfortunately, others think they sound like a great place to plunder. Some recent developments highlight the ability of armed citizens to defend themselves and how localized gun bans near schools or on universities make victims of law-abiding citizens. A group of Georgia college students at a birthday party owe their lives to the fact that one of them had a gun. (H/T Of Arms & the Law) Two gunmen burst in to the apartment and separated males and females into different rooms. The gunmen began discussing whether they had enough bullets to kill everyone at the party. One of the students pulled a gun from his backpack and shot at the home invad... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2416799 Mon, 18 May 2009 17:36:31 +0100 2416799 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405643&cid=t_160913_115_f&fid=34670&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsumerdoc.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2F3d-ct-gunshot-injury.html This is an interesting image wherein the bullet entered from one side shattered the greater trochanter and lodged in the contralateral gluteal region, reported via teleradiology via our company. Teleradiology ProvidersFrom Sumer's Radiology Site http://www.sumerdoc.blogspot.com -The Top Radiology Magazine. Teleradiology Providers at www.teleradproviders.com Mail us at teleradproviders@gmail.com (Source: Sumer's Radiology Site) Sumer's Radiology Site blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405643 Wed, 13 May 2009 10:14:00 +0100 2405643 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2398594&cid=t_160913_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=2348189&cid=t_160913_101_f&fid=36537&url=http%3A%2F%2Fambulancedriverfiles.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F04%2Faint-she-sexxy.html Went with the Husband In Law to the gun store yesterday to pick up his new Springfield XDM, and while he was filling out the requisite paperwork, I heard a faint but insistent voice calling my name.At first I thought it was the Walther P22 target pistol they had in the case. I'd shot TOTWTYTR's up in Bahstan, and fell deeply in lust with it, but then I thought, "Nah AD, you saw one the other day with the extra barrel included for fifty bucks less than this one, and you resisted her charms then."And then the voice got louder, and a vision of perforated soda cans and bricks of cheap ammo clouded my vision for a bit. When it cleared, there she was, winking her Tritium sights at me and purring throatily.There was but one thing to do: liberate her from that cold, sterile glass case and give her... A Day In the Life of An Ambulance Driver blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348189 Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:32:00 +0100 2348189 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2266675&cid=t_160913_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F03%2F14%2Fwhy-criminals-obey-the-law-abstract%2F This study fills this void by using a unique survey of active offenders in Chicago called the Chicago Gun Project (CGP). Part of a larger evaluation effort of the Project Safe Neighborhoods program, the CGP posed a series of individual, neighborhood, legitimacy, and social network questions to a sample of 141 offenders in 52 Chicago neighborhoods. The CGP is designed to understand how the perceptions of the law and social networks of offenders influence their understanding of the law and subsequent law violating behavior. Our findings suggest that while criminals as a whole have negative opinions of the law and legal authority, the sample of gun offenders (just like non-criminals) are more likely to comply with the law when they believe in (a) the substance of the law, and (b) the legitima... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2266675 Sat, 14 Mar 2009 04:01:19 +0100 2266675 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2255975&cid=t_160913_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=1868576&cid=t_160913_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2FnKMhzMhNF1Q%2F 4-year-old Jeremy Marcano of San Juan, Puerto Rico, was autistic. Today’s Associated Press reports on his death: ….The gun apparently fell between the two front seats of the car as the mother leaned over to comb her daughter’s hair. …….. Her autistic son, Jeremy Marcano, got out of his booster seat, picked up the gun and shot himself in the face, Commander Jose Marrero Rivera told The Associated Press. Marrero said he did not know where Brenda Lee Cotto had the gun before it fell. Police did not comment on whether the boy’s autism was a factor. Cotto was a sergeant with the San Juan police department and “her statement will be taken in more detail when she is ready.” Tags: accident, asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, disabilities blog, disab... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1868576 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 02:26:47 +0100 1868576 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1419708&cid=t_160913_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=1362527&cid=t_160913_158_f&fid=36160&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.popeinstitute.com%2Fcaregivingminutes%2F%3Fp%3D62 I am always cautious about safety in parking lots when shopping alone. What this elderly woman experienced is what most women fear when shopping alone. A would be robber jumps into the passenger side of an elderly woman’s car. She had just finished grocery shopping when the man entered her car, said he had a gun, and request all of her money. She said “no”, and that is not the most incredible part of the video… WOW! does not begin to describe her courage and faith. This story comes from Action News 5 in Memphis Tennessee. (Source: CaregivingMinutes™ by Pope Institute) CaregivingMinutes™ by Pope Institute blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1362527 Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:10:34 +0100 1362527 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1221299&cid=t_160913_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F232802031%2F 15-year-old Tony Presley, who has high-functioning autism, was tased by police on January 28th for “getting out of control at school,” WDIO reports: Assistant Police Chief Charles LaGesse says on January 28th, Tony got out of control at school. A police report says the school liaison officer wrote Tony a ticket, but then Tony started kicking and biting the officers and school officials. The report says another police officer was called in, and he is the one who tased Tony. Tony described the ordeal in his own words. “When I got in that office,” said Tony. “I was calm until they were going to write that ticket. I didn’t know what they were doing, they had no business doing that. All I wanted to do was throw the ticket away.” Tony’s sis... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1221299 Sun, 10 Feb 2008 21:51:06 +0100 1221299 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1094195&cid=t_160913_132_f&fid=35001&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nodalpoint.org%2F2007%2F12%2F14%2Fkill_a_scientist_today Is there a scientist in your laboratory (or elsewhere) you'd like to wipe out? Perhaps you know a crackpot Computer “scientist”. Or an Arrogant Physicist? Meddling mathematician maybe? Stubborn statistician? Bonkers Biologist? Kooky Chemist? You could try Nerd Sniping them, as demonstrated by Randall Munroe over at the University of XKCD. read more (Source: nodalpoint.org - A bioinformatics weblog) nodalpoint.org - A bioinformatics weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1094195 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 11:14:26 +0100 1094195 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1054861&cid=t_160913_133_f&fid=35096&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAutismVox%2F%7E3%2F191455667%2F Lynda, who has a 16-year-old autistic son, just left this comment involving her son and a police officer in St. Louis, Missouri. I have an emergency situation with my 16yo autistic son who has been severely assaulted (beaten, tazered, etc. after being fully restrained and put in a police car) by a police officer. He was wrongfully accused of a felony. His father and I witnessed the entire thing, so we are certain. We witnessed the assault, too. It’s a nightmare! My son is being held in a detention center — TOTALLY the wrong place for this VERY good child. He is suffering from PTSD as a result of this recent trauma, not to mention all of the pre-existing issues (severe anxiety disorder, etc.) His regular doctor is ill. I MUST find a new psychiatrist or neurologist for him IMMEDIATELY, i... Autism Vox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1054861 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:07:59 +0100 1054861 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=551063&cid=t_160913_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_160913_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