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By Leo Wolfson, State Politics Reporter

Leo@CowboyStateDaily.com

An African American Second Amendment scholar is bringing a perspective challenging many of the mainstream narratives that firearms increase crime in America. Instead, he believes gun control laws exacerbate racial bias in the criminal justice system.

We need to take a harder look at those programs, rather than pursuing what we call the modern orthodoxy, said Nicholas Johnson at the University of Wyomings Firearm Research Center on Thursday night. The community would be better if we took a case-by-case policy look. We need a hard-look approach that is pursued with rigor.

Hequestions gun control laws from a perspective he acknowledges many will find uncomfortable, showing a connection to racial and criminal justice questions. He said those who believe bias pervades the criminal justice system should also be opposed to the modern gun control movements, where he says the same biases translate into gun law enforcement.

In his"A Race-Sensitive Hard Look at Firearms and the Black Community" presentation, Johnson explains that studies show many of the same laws leading to disproportionate incarceration of African Americans and other minorities are interconnected with gun control laws that Democrats and many of the same people impacted by the policies support.

Theconservative tough on crime policies cross paths with the liberal paths to solve gun control at all costs, he said. Conservatives and liberal progressives have tried to outdo each other to be progressively punitive.

The Fordham University School of Law professor wants lawmakers to consider firearms regulation from a new lens.

More Gun Control Leads To More Prosecution

In his presentation, Johnson mentioned a 2022 University of Pennsylvania study analyzing nine decades of federal gun laws. The study found that prosecutorial power is magnified when it comes to gun control, due to the prevalent ownership of firearms in America and criminal activity throughout the country.

The UPenn study found that this both permits broad federal jurisdiction and allows prosecutors to use their equally broad discretion to leverage severe sentences to obtain plea bargains. When charging penalties and mandatory minimums start high, Johnson said this leads directly to plea bargains likely to end in incarceration.

According to the study, as of 2016, about 15% of all people in federal prisons were convicted of gun offenses carrying a mandatory minimum penalty.

One of the most common gun offenses in America is illegal possession of a firearm by a felon, amounting to nearly of all felony gun charges.

Johnson said there are also racial disparities in the prosecutions of gun laws, with studies showing African Americans are much more likely to be charged with this crime than other groups of people and twice as likely to be charged for mandatory minimums as white people.

Harsh gun laws ended up being utilized as fodder in the prosecution, he said.

Benjamin Levin said in the Fordham Law Review the same policies used in Americas war on drugs are also being used to address the ownership of firearms. Levin argues that the same critique of these policies and mass incarceration should also extend to gun laws.

Johnson cited the example of his home of New York City, which has particularly strict gun laws.To own a handgun in NYC, you need a valid city handgun license and to possess a rifle or shotgun, you need a city-issued permit.

Johnson argues these restrictions have had adisproportionate effect on working class residents of the city, who have a difficult time understanding the Byzantine laws and taking time off from work if they have appear in court on gun charges, leading to further legal problems.

People who are poor or on the bottom half of the economic scale, its simply harder to work through the legal process, he said.

Johnson also brought up a few instances of people traveling to NYC with firearms and being charged with crimes they had no idea they would be committing beforehand.

Yale Law professor James Forman Jr., has questioned whether the bias in modern gun laws is worth tolerating because of the perceived benefits.

In 2019, the United States had the second highest rate of firearms deaths in the world and in 2020, moreAmericans died of gun-related injuriesthan in any other yearon record, according to the Pew Research Center.

Cost Benefit Analysis

The Rand Corporation determined in 2018 and 2020 insufficient data exists to determine whether firearms protections lead to fewer gun-related deaths, except for isolated incidents related to gun storage laws.

Johnson said a supply side ideal exists among gun control supporters, many of whom believe by shrinking the number of firearms owned, gun violence will correspondingly decrease in America to rates seen in other countries. In 2018, Americaranked eighth out of 64 for homicides by firearm, a rate 23 times higher than Australia, which has extremely strict gun laws.

How does that dynamic play into modern orthodoxy? Johnson questioned.

Johnson said gun control laws started becoming much stricter in the 1960s and 1970s, and by the 1980s, the first municipal bans on handguns emerged, aimed at addressing the problem by restricting supply.

The modern gun control movement says fix it with banning handguns, Johnson said. It was a plausible idea. But thats becoming less and less and less plausible.

He said when state legislatures fell short in controlling firearms, gun control advocates usually turned next to public referendums. One such referendum held in California in the 1980s failed by roughly of the vote.

Flaws In The Narrative

Johnson brought up a few different examples of major African American civil rights figures who, despite advocating for peaceful change, were surrounded by supporters bearing firearms or were themselves doing so.

Johnson said there is a realization developing in minority communities that traditional gun control efforts are not working. He wants people of these communities to think critically on this issue before they stake a claim of allegiance to a certain politician.

Lets not have an automatic allegiance with people like (former New York City Mayor) Michael Bloomberg, he said.

Johnson believes that by effectively studying this topic, neither supporters or opponents of gun control would be able to take African American support for granted in the future. He said there are various studies showing Second Amendment support is growing steadily in African American communities, approaching 50% in a few. There are also a number of African American pro-gun organizations that have developed in recent years.

As we sharpen the critique, the modern orthodoxy doesnt have as great a hold as we previously think, he said.

Johnson said de facto alliances between African American progressives and tough on crime conservatives have led to over policing.

Michael Nutter, the second African American mayor of Philadelphia from 2008-2016, instituted a stop and frisk program that Johnson said led to more discriminatory arrests than in other urban cities.

This suggests an uncritical embrace of traditional gun control may be incompatible in the broader interests of the community, he said.

Author and historian Carol Anderson has argued that the Second Amendment was designed to benefit slave owners and to keep African Americans vulnerable and powerless. In her book, she mentions the 2016 murder of Philando Castile, a legally armed African American man who was killed by a police officer when he found out Castile hada gun in his possession.

Although he does believe there are flaws in modern policing, Johnson does not agree with Andersons conclusion, calling it reflexive orthodoxy and saying no law can lead to perfect results.

Using an episode like Castille as a foundation for making a broad poltical assessment that the Second Amendment has no promise for Blacks is wrong empirically, he said. Guns are crucial resources for the Black citizen.

It's folly to make a sort of limiting decision on your future resources based on something horrible that happened to someone else.

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Second Amendment Scholar Challenges Gun Control Narrative ... - Cowboy State Daily

A recent letter pleaded for legislative action to ban the weapons of war (Its guns, and we must fix the problem, April 5, TribLIVE), while another wanted to make things more difficult on the criminals (We must make it more difficult for criminals to get guns, April 3, TribLIVE). Neither writer presented a cogent argument to achieve their objective without violating the Second Amendment. Yeah, that pesky Second Amendment.

The second writer even opined: Americans lost the privilege of owning an AR a long time ago, equating lawful gun owners with criminals.

Criminals have little fear of our current judicial system. They know they will rarely see the inside of a courtroom and have to answer for their crime.

Heres what could be done to put the fear of our judicial system into the minds of the criminals, without violating the rights of lawful gun owners:

Enforce existing gun laws. Duh!

Dont allow plea bargaining on a crime involving a gun.

Try and imprison anyone guilty of using a gun to commit a crime within one year of their arrest, with no early release or parole.

Try and imprison or execute anyone guilty of killing someone using a gun during the commission of a crime within two years of their arrest. One year for the trial and one year for appeals, if necessary.

The lawyers and judges wont like this because they will actually have to do their job in a timely manner. To that I say, manage your dockets and give priority to these type of cases. Or get more judges. We have enough lawyers.

Ralph Dunsworth

Oviedo, Fla.

The writer is a former Murrysville resident.

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Letter to the editor: Improve judicial system rather than violate ... - TribLIVE

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee called on the Tennessee General Assembly to pass legislation for a new Order of Protection law before the end of the legislative session to strengthen the safety and preserve the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. This bill, which was drafted with input from legislative leadership, the Governors office and relevant departments, will improve Tennessees existing Order of Protection framework. By guaranteeing due process and enhancing access to mental health support, this proposal is the best way to help individuals who intend to harm themselves or others, protect constitutional rights and keep our communities safe.

Following the tragic Covenant shooting, the Governor asked the legislature to bring forward proposals to ensure dangerous individuals who are a threat to themselves or others do not have access to weapons, while requiring due process and a high burden of proof to preserve the Second Amendment.

Gov. Lees video message can be viewed here.

Full transcript:

Tennesseans I want to share an update with you. The past few weeks have been some of our most difficult as a state.

Weve been working really hard on solutions and have reached a pivotal moment, and I want to speak to that today.

There have been times in American history when great tragedy caused those who are elected to serve to come together and respond with thoughtful actionaction to improve laws, preserve rights and protect communities.

We hear stories of pragmatic leaders who collectively stepped outside of their party lines to do what they thought was the right thing, changing the course of history for the better.

But what the history books dont always capture is the difficulty of those moments when leaders are standing at a crossroads, choosing between the easy path and the right path.

I believe we find ourselves at that moment today. We are standing at a crossroads.

Tennesseans are asking us to set aside politics and personal pride. They are depending on us to do the right thing.

Since the tragedy at Covenant, weve worked with the General Assembly to pass our school safety legislation by wide bipartisan margins.

I signed an Executive Order to make sure that law enforcement, the judicial system, and mental health professionals are sharing information effectively, so the background check process works like it should.

I also called on legislators to come together and find a solution for the most difficult challenge of all.

We all agree that dangerous, unstable individuals who intend to harm themselves or others should not have access to weapons. And that should be done in a way that requires due process and a high burden of proof, supports law enforcement and punishes false reporting, enhances mental health support, and preserves the Second Amendment for law-abiding citizens.

Tennesseans agree with this. Legislators agree with this. Second Amendment advocates agree with this.

And so, throughout the last couple of weeks, I have worked with members of the General Assembly constitutionally minded, second amendment protecting members to craft legislation for an improved Order of Protection Law that will strengthen the safety and preserve the rights of Tennesseans.

To be specific, Im proposing that we improve our states law so that it protects more Tennesseans and reaches more individuals who are struggling and in need of mental health support.

There is broad agreement that this is the right approach. It should be that simplebut sadly, its not.

Political groups began drawing their battle lines before the bill was even completed.

These are the moments for which the people of Tennessee elected us to listen and to act. Im not saying its easy, but it is possible when were talking about the safety of our children, our teachers and innocent lives.

The only thing standing in our way is politics on both sides of the aisle.

National politicians and pundits even the White House are calling our proposal something that its not. Red flag is nothing but a toxic political label meant to draw lines in the sand so nothing gets done. This is about Tennessee and the unique needs of our people. It should be reviewed on its own merits not lumped in with laws from other states, many of which, I believe, dont strike the right balance of preserving rights and protecting society.

And some advocates of the Second Amendment say something called involuntary commitment is the answer, but that would restrict all kinds of constitutional rights, including the Second Amendment. Its not the best way.

Efforts like the ones I just mentioned dont deliver the right results. They dont actually preserve the constitutional rights of Tennesseans in the best way possible, and they dont actually get to the heart of the problem of preventing tragedies.

This is hard. Ive said that all along.

But in Tennessee right now, if a husband threatens to hurt his wife, an Order of Protection would temporarily restrict his access to weapons to protect the spouse.

If that same man threatens to shoot himself or a church or a mall, our proposal will provide that same level of protection to the broader public.

We have a proven solution that gets to the heart of the problem an improved Order of Protection law to save lives and preserve the Second Amendment.

This is a pivotal moment. But both sides are at risk of standing in the way of a thoughtful, practical solu

Why?

Politics. Division.

But we cannot give up. We cannot shy away from the hard decisions.

And so, once again, Im asking the General Assembly to take a vote on this improved Order of Protection proposal before they end the legislative session.

We owe Tennesseans a vote.

The tragedy at Covenant didnt create the problem. Rather, it has shown more clearly than ever before that we can do more to protect students, teachers, communities and Constitutional rights.

This moment doesnt have to be defined by tragedy alone. It can also be defined by hope and results.

Weve done this before the Governors office working together with the legislature to rise above politics and lead through divisionto search our hearts and do that which I believe Tennesseans have elected us to do.

Tennesseans are depending on us.

I believe we live in the greatest state in the country, and this is our chance to show it once again.

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VIDEO: Gov. Lee Calls on General Assembly to Pass 'Order of ... - tn.gov

Yellow Scene welcomes Letters to the Editor and is happy to publish your thoughts, within limit. Please send all love letters, hate mail, curious thoughts, and open letters to editorial@yellowscene.com.

I appreciate the concerns behind HB 23-1230 to ban assault weapons in Colorado. However, this proposal clearly violates the independent clause of the Second Amendment. The proper first step towards gun control would be repealing the Second Amendment.

The Second Amendment was a product of a different time, predating modern weapons of mass destruction. It was rooted in armed slave patrols to suppress potential slave uprisings.

The US Constitution is an archaic document with no legitimate authority, yet legislators take an oath to uphold it. If the United States continues to exist as a political entity, a new Constitution should be designed and approved by a new constitutional convention.

The original constitutional convention was held in secret by a handful of rich white men predominantly slaveholders who designed a system to preserve their own wealth and power. The constitution they drafted excluded about 94 percent of the population from the right to representation in government.

I would support a vote at a new constitutional convention to repeal the Second Amendment as a precursor to debating legislation regulating personal weapon ownership.

Slaveholder Thomas Jefferson wrote that a constitution could not bind future generations. He argued that a constitution should expire after one generation. I agree that future generations should not be bound by the dictates of their barbarous ancestors. Each generation should hold its own constitutional convention to create a new system of government, at least once every twenty years.

Gary SwingBoulder, Colorado

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Repeal the Second Amendment - Yellow Scene

Tomorrow, three committees will hear anti-gun bills. Please use the Take Action buttons below to contact committee members and get involved in protecting our Second Amendment rights in California.

Assembly Public Safety Committee starting at 9:00AM

Assembly Bill 1252uses taxpayer dollars to create a so-called Office of Gun Violence Prevention to generate propaganda promoting the erosion of Second Amendment rights. While NRA does not oppose objective research into the root causes of violence, and violence prevention is a laudable goal, biased research focusing solely on firearms is often used to generate propaganda pushing for more gun control. Further, California tax dollars are already used to fund the UC Gun Violence Research Center.

Assembly Bill 1406 allows state authorities to require firearm transfers to be delayed for up to 30 days if they are unable to complete the background check within the ten day waiting period in current law. Such a change backwards allows inefficiencies or failures by state bureaucrats to delay Second Amendment rights for even longer.

Assembly Bill 1483 expands Californias one-gun-per-month rationing scheme to also include private party transfers.

Assembly Bill 1598 requires licensed firearm dealers to provide a DoJ published pamphlet on the benefits and risks of firearm ownership to those receiving firearms. Additionally, it allows DoJ to solicit input from reputable organizations. Given the Attorney Generals disdain for the Second Amendment, its possible these pamphlets could be little more than anti-gun propaganda pieces.

Please click this button to ask the Assembly Public Safety Committee to OPPOSE Assembly Bills 1252, 1406, 1483, and 1598.

Assembly Judiciary Committee starting at 9:00AM

Assembly Bill 1089 expands Californias ban on private citizens and non-professional users making firearms with CNC milling machines or possessing CNC milling machines that have the primary or intended function of manufacturing firearms to also include 3D printers. This is simply another scheme to harass law-abiding hobbyists by preventing them from using modern manufacturing techniques for otherwise lawful purposes.

Please click this button to ask the Assembly Judiciary Committee to OPPOSE Assembly Bill 1089.

Senate Public Safety Committee starting at 8:30AM

Senate Bill 452 prohibits firearm dealers from selling or transferring any semi-automatic handgun after January 1st, 2027, unless the state certifies that it has microstamping. In addition, it also prohibits replacing a microstamping component on such a handgun unless it is replaced with another valid microstamping component. In recent weeks, a federal court struck down the microstamping requirement, as well as other required features for handgun models to be placed on the California handgun roster. While the attorney general has appealed the decision, he did not appeal the microstamping requirement. To read more about California's microstamping law, pleaseclick here.

Senate Bill 417 changes the state-mandated signs that licensed firearm dealers must post at their premises, to include anti-gun propaganda.

Please click this button to ask the Senate Public Safety Committee to OPPOSE Senate Bills 452 and 417.

Please stay tuned to http://www.nraila.org and your email inbox for further updates.

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California: Three Committees Hearing Anti-Gun Bills Tomorrow - NRA ILA