Dave Kopel Home Page

In Congress and Legislatures

Testimony on D.C. Council's proposed revision to the District's gun control laws. Kopel argues against a provision which excessively discriminates against people with visual impairments. The testimony also critiques D.C.'s unusual system of long gun registration. Feb. 13, 2012.

Kopel testified on Nov. 17 before the U.S. Senate subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism regarding S. 463, Senator Schumer's bill to vastly expand the number of people prohibited from owning or temporarily possessing a firearm. 29-page written testimony. Video of subcommittee hearing. Kopel's 5 minute prepared remarks begin at 72:41. At 103:40, there is a Q&A with Senator Grassley, with leads to follow-up questions with Senator Schumer, in which Kopel explains to Schumer what the Schumer bill actually does. Kopel discusses the bill on NRA News. Media coverage: NPR, ABC, Governing, Albany Times Union.

Kopel testified on Sept. 13 before the U.S. House subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, regarding H.R. 822, which would set up a national system of interstate reciprocity for concealed handgun carry permits. Kopel's 24-page written testimony. Video of the subcommittee hearing. Cato Institute podcast with Kopel on the issue.

In the Media

‘Fahrenheit 9/11′ Lies Revisited: Leftist Filmmakers Split Profits from Defaming President Bush. Big Hollywood. by Jeffrey Scott Shapiro. Feb. 18, 2012.

Federal court to hear TABOR suit. Telluride Daily Planet. by Brian Selogie. Feb. 3, 2012.

Eddie Lucio says Texas does not regulate the appearance of some kinds of imitation firearms sold in Texas. PolitiFact Texas. Jan. 24, 2012.

Get a Medical Marijuana Card, Lose Your Second Amendment Rights. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives wants to prohibit patients from protecting themselves. Reason.com, Dec. 16, 2011.

Young Turks host Cenk Uygur, ‘We were supposed to get change,’ not Defense Authorization Act stripping civil liberties. Kopel briefly mentioned at 2:10. Current TV, Dec. 14.

Individual mandate: Independence Institute amicus brief in HHS v. Florida Supreme Court case. Argues that the individual mandate cannot be justified by the Necessary and Proper clause.

Medicaid mandate: Independence Institute amicus brief in Florida v. HHS, before the US Supreme Court. Argues that the Obamacare Medicaid mandate (states must drastically expand Medicaid eligibility, or lose all federal matching funds for Medicaid) violates the Constitution.

Amicus brief in People v. Aguilar, currently before the Supreme Court of Illinois. Professors Michael O'Shea, Nicholas Johnson, and Kopel argue that Illinois's complete prohibition of defensive carry in public places violates the Second Amendment.

Amicus brief for the Independence Institute in Kerr v. Hickenlooper (D. Colo.). Rebuts plaintiffs' claim that direct democracy, such as referenda and initiatives, is contrary to the Republican Form of Government clause of the U.S. Constitution. Podcast by II Senior Fellow Rob Natelson on the brief.

Amicus brief for the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association, and the Independence Institute, in Peruta v. San Diego (9th Circuit). Details why the carrying of an unloaded handgun--which can only be loaded under "imminent" threat--is insufficient to effectuate the constitutional right of armed self-defense. Also details police interests in encouraging concealed carry rather than open carry. Includes numerous short videos to illustrate the brief's descriptions of how guns are loaded, and how they are deployed in an emergency.

Kopel's amicus brief for the County Sheriffs of Colorado in Students for Concealed Carry on Campus v. Regents of the University of of Colorado (Colo. Sup. Ct.).

Holder Must Go. Attorney General Eric Holder's lies and half-truths in the "Fast and Furious" aftermath are nothign new. A look at the past shows a long history of dishonesty and disdain for the truth and the law. America's 1st Freedom. Mar. 2012.