Making headway, also can you share some links?

[AXI]

In my Constitutional Rights class (I am a pre-law student), we were addressing the Amendments.

I like how my teacher reaffirmed that when it says a State Militia it means a State Militia. And further explained that a State-Militia is everyone in that state should it be invaded. I feel that her explanation was very good, because its not a citizen versus citizen-only implication.

I am currently doing a report on why IIa is the most important amendment, my angle is that it is the last defense of the rest of the Bill of Rights. I am at a part where I am mentioning crime-control/prevention properties, I do not have many links saved but would definitely appreciate if you all could share some citeable sources reporting how many lives are saved by IIa and how many crimes are prevented.

[blakdawg]

You could do a lot worse than starting with the Heller decision and the amicus briefs filed in support of it.

[Rekrab]

Heller and McDonald are going to be some great starting points for you.

[2Bear]

wiki.calgunsfoundation.org Litigation_Past_and_Present

[Librarian]

So, you should read the briefs:
Heller
McDonald
and those will give you lots of references to cases and authors and articles.

[dantodd]

"More Guns, Less Crime" by John Lott is a good starting place too. There are one or two stats that he has been unable to substantiate when pressed but the other 99.999% of the book is excellent and fully substantiated.

[AXI]

Thanks for the links so far, I have mentioned Hellen vs D.C. in my paper so far, I am looking for more CJ oriented numbers. Such as the recent event where a criminal broke in and was shot in the arm, he was captured later and prosecuted.

Numbers like the above.

[BusBoy]

Thanks for the links so far, I have mentioned Hellen vs D.C. in my paper so far, I am looking for more CJ oriented numbers. Such as the recent event where a criminal broke in and was shot in the arm, he was captured later and prosecuted.

Numbers like the above.

emphasis mine... unless MR. Heller has decided to go "Tranny"... make sure you dont make that mistake in your paper!

[putput]

Defensive Gun Use

http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/165476.pdf

[Rekrab]

This might also be of some use for statistics: http://gunfacts.info/

[2Bear]

Hey, perhaps publish your paper here after grading?

The Nazi's confiscating arms while seizing power and current events in the Middle East and North Africa might be good fodder for your paper.

Add some international perspective...

[AXI]

Hey, perhaps publish your paper here after grading?

You know, I've thought about that. I did a report already on Calguns vs CSUEB, and it got an A . I also mentioned the current CalGuns vs Ventura in the report.

[Stonewalker]

Just adding a comment - I can't believe people (ConLaw teachers even!!!!) will sit there and defiantly ignore the SCOTUS' ruling as if it never happened. These words are pretty damn clear from the Heller decision:

Held:

1. The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home. Pp. 2–53.

It's totally childish to do that.

[2Bear]

There are TONS of individual defense stories at the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action where they have the AMERICAN RIFLEMAN series ARMED CITIZEN archived...

Search the Armed Citizen archives here:

http://www.NRAILA.org/ArmedCitizen/

[2Bear]

Gun Ownership Rises to All-Time High,Violent Crime Falls to 35-Year Low
http://www.nraila.org/Issues/FactShe...=206&issue=007

Research by award-winning criminologist Gary Kleck and Marc Gertz reveals Americans use guns for self-defense as often as 2.5 million times a year--that`s three to five times more often than they are misused by criminals. BY PAUL H. BLACKMAN, Ph.D.
http://www.nraila.org/Issues/articles/read.aspx?ID=125''

The number of privately owned guns in the U.S. is at an all-time high, and rises by about 4.5 million per year.1
Below, statistics from 1981 forward are from the National Center for Health Statistics; those prior to 1981 are from the National Safety Council.2 NCHS annual numbers, rates, and trends of common accidents and selected other causes of death, for the U.S., each state, and the District of Columbia, are available on the NRA-ILA website in spreadsheet format.3

The firearm accident death rate is at an all-time annual low, 0.2 per 100,000 population, down 94% since the all-time high in 1904. Since 1930, the annual number of such deaths has decreased 80%, to an all-time low, while the U.S. population has more than doubled and the number of firearms has quintupled. Among children, such deaths have decreased 90% since 1975.

Today, the odds are more than a million to one, against a child in the U.S. dying in a firearm accident.

http://www.NRAILA.org/Issues/FactSheets/Read.aspx?id=120&issue=009

Intntl. Statistics and Perspectives:

http://www.nraila.org/Issues/FactSheets/Read.aspx?ID=78

(Lotsa' good data and refs. on this site.)