Dave Kopel PDA website

Dave Kopel website. PDA-enabled home page.

Latest short articles and commentary

Bloody Pirates! How can a few thugs disrupt the entire shipping industry? It's simple when the good guys have water hoses and air horns for self-defense, and only the bad guys have guns. America's 1st Freedom. July 2009.

Koh, No! President Barack Obama continues to fill his administration with devout gun-ban advocates, this time appointing transnationalist Harold Koh as legal adviser to the Department of State. America's 1st Freedom. July 2009.

The State of Heller. Does the Second Amendment apply to state and local governments? Ongoing cases may soon give the Supreme Court an opportunity to issue a definitive decision on this very important question. Discussion of the 9th Circuit's new decision in Nordyke v. King, plus other cases involving incorporation. America's 1st Freedom. June 2009. PDF.

Guns in Parks: The Hoplophobes’ Travel Guide to the United States. The New Ledger. May 29, 2009.

Respecting States’ Wishes. Short essay on the new law allowing guns in National Parks. New York Times, "Room for Debate" on-line feature. May 22, 2009.

The Pieces Fall into Place. With Gil Kerlikowske, President Obama continues the trend of appointing gun-haters to important positions in his administration. America's 1st Freedom, May 2009.

Gun Rights and the Constitution: Was Heller Insignificant? An examination of last week's New York Times article, which overlooked most of the Second Amendment victories which have flowed from Heller. The New Ledger. March 26, 2009.

"Restoring the Right to Bear Arms" in the Cato Handbook for Policymakers (2008, 7th ed.). With Robert A. Levy.

Political blogger poll

Kopel in the National Journal weekly poll of leading political bloggers. This week: Does Obama need a bipartisan health bill? Who speaks for the Republicans? Kopel says "No" and "No-one," and explains why the latter is a good thing.

Podcasts & Video

Obama Does Not Like Knives (or Guns). The administration moves to a regulatory ban on 80% of folding knives. June 25, 2009. 9 minutes. MP3

Geeking It Up On Star Trek. Kopel and Jon Caldara discuss the recent Star Trek movie, the original TV series, and their importance in culture. MP3. 17 minutes. MP3.

Guns in National Parks. Kopel interviewed by Amy Oliver on KFKA radio. June 10, 2009. 20 minutes. MP3.

7th Circuit Court of Appeals Handgun Ruling. In an interview with Jon Caldara, Kopel explains the new decision in NRA v. Chicago. Dave Kopel's Second Amendment Podcast. June 4, 2009. 12 minutes. MP3.

The Montana Firearms Freedom Act. In an interview with Amy Oliver, Kopel explains the new Montana law which attempts to exempt guns which are made and sold intra-state from the application of federal gun laws which were enacted under the federal power over interstate commerce. KFKA radio. Dave Kopel's Second Amendment Podcast. June 4, 2009. 16 minutes. MP3.

Important New Translation of Homer's Iliad. Homer's masterpiece has been around since 800 BC, and adored ever since. Professor Christian Kopff of CU-Boulder recently wrote the introduction to the new translation of the Iliad; Kopel interviews him about why this new version is important. May 29, 2009. 33 minutes. MP3.

The Necessary and Proper Clause: An Explanation. Kopel interviews University of Montana law professor Rob Natelson about the proper interpretation of the clause. May 14, 2009. 44 minutes. MP3.

Weblog

Kopel's Corner weblog. Special PDA version. Latest entries: Obama administration moves to ban 80% of folding knives. Another Emmy nomination for Kopel's show. Sotomayor vs. the Second Amendment, Part II. Obama makes U.S. more popular in Germany. New translation of The Iliad.

Latest World Languages

Unofficial English translation of Mexican Federal Laws on Firearms and Explosives.

Санкции против Ирана – за и против. 26.06.2009. MP3. Possible sanctions against the Iranian tyrants. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

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Latest newsletter issue, June 5 on the web.

Latest Monographs and Journal articles

Pretend "Gun-free" School Zones: A Deadly Legal Fiction. 42 Connecticut Law Review (no. 1, 2009, forthcoming). PDF.

The Second Amendment in the Tenth Circuit: Three Decades of (Mostly) Harmless Error. 86 Denver University Law Review (no 3, 2009, forthcoming). Lead article in the annual Tenth Circuit Survey. PDF.

Unraveling Judicial Restraint: Guns, Abortion, and the Faux Conservatism of J. Harvie Wilkinson, III. 25 Journal of Law & Politics (University of Virginia) (2009). Critique of 4th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Wilkinson's Virginia Law Review article asserting the D.C. v. Heller is a 21st century version of Roe v. Wade. With Nelson Lund.

Poisoned Milk and the Poisoning of Democracy: Some Cautions about China Trade and Taiwan Sovereignty. Paper presented at the symposium “Taiwan’s New Approach: Opportunities and Challenges for President Ma Ying-jeou’s Government.” International House, University of Chicago, October 24, 2008. The program’s sponsors were the University of Chicago’s Center for East Asian Studies and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago. PDF.

The Natural Right of Self-defense: Heller's Lesson for the World. Symposium issue on the Heller case. 58 Syracuse Law Review 235 (2008).

Pacifist-Aggressives vs. the Second Amendment: An Analysis of Modern Philosophies of Compulsory Non-violence. 3 Charleston Law Review 1 (2008).

Christian Pacifism Before Constantine. Working paper. June 12, 2008. Much recent scholarship on early Christianity has emphasized the diversity of early Christian thought. This Paper presents evidence of diversity on early Christian belief and practice on the issue of pacifism. Notably, the diversity is found within orthodox Christianity itself. The claims of some modern writers that pre-Constantian orthodox Christians were virtually unanimously pacifist are not correct. In fact, some but not all of the early Patristic writers were pacifists. A significant number of Christians, including saints, served in the Roman army. The Paper discusses the following writers: Justin Martyr, Marcion, Irenaeus, Athenagoras, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Julius Africanus, Origen, Cyprian, Arnobius, and Lactantius, and also examines other sources of information about the early church.

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