Ep. 49: The Right to Keep and Bear Arms (with David Kopel)
Channel: Libertarianism.org
Date: 2014-09-29

David Kopel joins us this week for a discussion on the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: the right to keep and bear firearms.

Aaron Powell and Trevor Burrus introduce the debate over gun rights in America today by asking questions: Why allow people to own guns at all? Aren’t we past that point as a civilization? Does having more guns around actually reduce crime? How many crimes each year are stopped by guns...and how many don't occur in the first place because criminals think their victims could have guns? Is it worth the risk to have guns in the home? Are public health concerns about gun ownership well-founded? Assault weapons—what are they and why do American gun control groups want to ban them in particular? And if the Second Amendment gives us the right to keep and bear arms, what's to stop an individual from owning something like a tank or a personal rocket launcher?

David B. Kopel is an associate policy analyst at the Cato Institute, research director at the Independence Institute, and adjunct professor of Advanced Constitutional Law at Denver University, Sturm College of Law. He is an expert on firearms policy, juvenile crime, drug policy, antitrust, constitutional law, criminal sentencing, and environmental law.

Show Notes and Further Reading

David B. Kopel, The Truth About Gun Control (book)
http://www.amazon.com/Truth-About-Control-Encounter-Broadside/dp/1594037124/

John R. Lott, Jr., More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws (book)
http://www.amazon.com/More-Guns-Less-Crime-Understanding/dp/0226493660/

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