Packing Heat: Did the US Supreme Court "pop a cap" in the Constitutionality of Regulation of Firearms?

Wednesday, September 17, 2008
SJCL Room 213 at 5:30pm

Presented by Professor of Law Jeffrey G. Purvis

The United States Supreme Court recently decided a longstanding issue of constitutional law--whether or not the Second Amendment created a personal constitutional right for individuals to possess firearms. Previous cases had not directly confronted this issue, but appeared to approve of a significant level of government regulation of firearm possession and use (even though such regulations were politically controversial). As on previous Constitution Days, this year's presentation will examine the process of constitutional interpretation, in the specific context of a right to "bear arms," and speculate in an informed manner about the specific rules the courts will use to determine the constitutionality of government regulation of firearms in the future.