Shifts in Gun Politics, Policy and Constitutional Law

President Obama’s recent focus on American gun violence reflects—and is accelerating—the most significant change in gun politics in a generation. Since Sandy Hook, guns have gone from an untouchable “third rail” of politics to a central focus of the Democratic presidential primary. New frontiers in Second Amendment law have emerged after 'District of Columbia v. Heller,' and judicial decisions are imminent on key constitutional questions—like whether there is an unfettered right to carry guns in public, whether “assault weapon” bans and high-capacity magazine restrictions must be evaluated under strict scrutiny, and whether doctors can be prohibited from discussing guns with patients. What do lower court decisions since Heller tell us about the limits the Second Amendment may allow the government to place on gun ownership and use, and how has the recent shift in the gun debate affected both policymaking and judicial decisions?

 

Speakers  -

 

Adam Skaggs, Senior Counsel, Everytown for Gun Safety (moderator)

Deepak Gupta, Founding Principal, Gupta Wessler PLLC

Alan Gura, Founding Principal, Gura & Possessky PLLC 

Christine Van Aken, Chief of Appellate Litigation and Deputy City Attorney, San Francisco City Attorney’s Office 

Adam Winkler, Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law