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1968 federal gun-control laws passed after assassinations of JFK, Malcolm X, and RFK Regulated interstate commerce with firearms After attempt on Reagan, Congress created a national system Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act Background checks for gun buyers Limits on who can transport guns
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1968 federal gun-control laws passed after assassinations of JFK, Malcolm X, and RFK • Regulated interstate commerce with firearms • After attempt on Reagan, Congress created a national system • Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act • Background checks for gun buyers • Limits on who can transport guns • Assault-weapons ban (expired 2004)
The Second Amendment A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Taking up arms against threats • “Castle Doctrine” • Justifying use of deadly force on home turf • From ‘05 – ’07, twenty states have passed laws that remove the requirements that citizens first seek a safe retreat from an intruder before using deadly force • “Stand Your Ground” • Extends the Castle Doctrine to outside your residence • If threatened in public, you have the right to defend yourself and no duty to retreat • There are 18 States with “Castle Doctrine,” 1 State with “Stand Your Ground,” and 12 States with both. In total, there are 31 States with some form of “Castle Doctrine” and/or “Stand Your Ground”