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Latest newsletter issue, April 15, on the web.

Kopel's Corner weblog. (Reprints of Kopel posts on The Volokh Conspiracy and the Colorado Union of Taxpayers webblog.) Latest entries: Obama's other spiritual mentor. Oral argument in DC v. Heller. Taiwan election. Polling data on handgun bans.

Latest Media Analysis articles

Barr, Limbaugh go too far. Radio hosts talk of riots in Denver. Rocky Mountain News/Denver Post. May 3, 2008.

Regrettably, Rhodes returns to radio. Progressive shock jock less than thoughtful. Rocky Mountain News/Denver Post. April 19, 2008.

McCain preachers merit scrutiny, too. Rocky Mountain News/Denver Post. April 5, 2008.

Archives

Newspaper and magazine articles, 2001 to the present.

Newspaper and magazine articles, 1986-2000.

Books, law review articles, other scholarly publications.

Kopel's Corner Weblog

Some popular older articles:

59 Deceits in Fahrenheit 911

Television and Radio

Colorado Inside-Out. Thursdays at 8 pm., Fridays at 5 pm. KBDI channel 12, Denver. YouTubes of some recent episodes.

Podcasts & Video

Deforestation in Africa. Thousands of acres of forest were set ablaze. Fires raged for a full week in multiple parts of Ethiopia, however volunteers were not allowed to help put them out. Dave Kopel sits down with dissident Ethiopian journalist Habtamu Dugo as they discuss the ecological destruction that ravaged the Ethiopian countryside as fires, most believe the government started and the let blaze for weeks. Run Time 9:45. May 7, 2008. MP3.

Taiwan Presidential Election Analysis with David Kopel. Originally broadcast on KBDI-TV channel 12, Denver, April 4, 2008. Filmed at the Public Television Service station, Taipei, Taiwan, March 20, 2008. Kopel interviews Dr. Yen Chen-Sen from the National Chengchi University's Institute of International Relations and Dr. Lai I-Chung from Taiwan Thinktank. Video.

American Constitution Society panel on DC v. Heller. Moderated by Dahlia Lithwick of Slate, the panel features a discussion with John Payne (formerly of the D.C. Corporation Counsel's office; attorney of record on the Brady amicus brief, and currently head of the NAACP LDF), Carl Bogus (Prof. of Law at Roger Williams, and lead author on a pro-DC amicus brief of some historians) and Dave Kopel. The debate was held at the National Press Club, in Washington, D.C.;  on March 13, 2008. The video and audio are available here.

Podcast and  Multimedia archive

Books

Independence Institute brief in Supreme Court handgun ban case.

In conjunction with a broad coalition of law enforcement organizations, the Independence Institute has filed an amicus brief in District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court case which will decide whether the DC handgun ban and ban on home defense with any firearm is a violation of the Second Amendment. The brief is available in PDF.

Latest short articles and commentary

Gun Owners for Hillary? Townhall.com, May 9, 2008.

The Democrats and Gun Control. The Clinton and Obama records belie their claims to support the Second Amendment. Wall Street Journal. April 17, 2008.

What are the anti's thinking? Analysis of the anti-Second Amendment amicus briefs in District of Columbia v. Heller. America's 1st Freedom. April 2008.  PDF.

Obama's Other Spiritual Mentor: Rev. Michael Pfleger. The man whom Obama described as one of his three spiritual mentors is a Farrakhan devotee who hates the Second Amendment. Volokh Conspiracy weblog. Apr. 8, 2008.

Oral argument in DC v. Heller. The view from the counsel table. Volokh Conspiracy weblog. Mar. 31, 2008.

A Needed, but Inadequate, Critique of Antitrust and Reform Proposals. Book review of The Antitrust Religion by Edwin S. Rockefeller (Cato Institute, 2007). Info Tech & Telecom News (Heartland Institute). April 1, 2008.

Latest Monographs & Journal articles

Taiwan's Presidential Elections: An Analysis of What Happened, and What May Happen Next. Independence Institute Issue Paper. April 2008. PDF. Examining how KMT candidate Ma Ying-Jeou won the election in part because of his strong defense of Taiwan's sovereignty and his appeal to Taiwan's growing national consciousness. The Issue Paper also analyzes the two referenda on UN membership.

"Is There a Relationship between Guns and Freedom? Comparative Results from 59 Nations." 13 Texas Review of Law & Politics (no. 1, 2008, forthcoming). With Carl E. Moody & Howard Nemerov. There are 59 nations for which data about per capita gun ownership are available. This Working Paper examines the relationship between gun density and several measures of freedom and prosperity: the Freedom House ratings of political rights and civil liberty, the Transparency International Perceived Corruption Index, the World Bank Purchasing Power Parity ratings, and the Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom. The data suggest that the relationships between gun ownership rates and these other measures are complex. The data show that (although exceptions can be found) the nations with the highest rates of gun ownership tend to have greater political and civil freedom, greater economic freedom and prosperity, and much less corruption than other nations. The relationship only exists in for high-ownership countries. Countries with medium rates of gun density generally scored no better or worse than countries with the lowest levels of gun rates.

"Evolving Christian attitudes towards personal and national self-defense." Working paper. Nov. 27. Analyzes changes in Christian thought about the use of force, from the 19th to the 21st century. PDF.

"Modern Christian Pacifist Philosophy." Working paper. Nov. 2007. Examines strengths and weaknesses of various contemporary Christian pacifist philosophies. PDF.

"Human Rights and Gun Confiscation." 26 Quinnipiac Law Review 383 (2008). PDF. With Paul Gallant & Joanne D. Eisen. Examines human rights abuses in gun confiscation programs in Kenya and Uganda, and in South Africa's quasi-confiscatory licensing law. Also provides the most complete collection ever presented of international survey data about why people in various countries own guns.

"Dhimmitude and Disarmament." 18 George Mason University Civil Rights Law Journal 305 (2008). PDF.

"The Human Right of Self-Defense." 22 BYU Journal of Public Law 43 (2008). David Kopel, Paul Gallant & Joanne D. Eisen. PDF.

Organizations

Research Director of the Independence Institute

Associate Policy Analyst, Cato Institute.

Columnist, Rocky Mountain News/Denver Post.

Editor-in-Chief, Journal on Firearms & Public Policy.

Member, Council of the Editors of Learned Journals.

Peer Reviewer, Criminal Justice Policy Review.

Contributing Editor, Information Technology & Telecom News (Heartland Institute)

Contributing Editor, Liberty magazine.

Contributing Editor, Gun Week

Contributing Legal Editor, The Firearms & Outdoor Trade.

Adjunct Professor of Law, New York University, 1998-99. Course syllabus.

Board of Directors, Colorado Union of Taxpayers.

Website designer, MaryLinks.

Background

BV-rated attorney. "CV, BV and AV are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies."
Former Assistant Attorney General, State of Colorado,  Hazardous and solid waste enforcement.

University of Michigan Law School, J.D. magna cum laude. Contributing Editor, Michigan Law Review.

Brown University, B.A. in History with Highest Honors. National Geographic Society Prize for best History thesis.

NRA-certified instructor for Pistol and for Personal Protection. NRA-qualified Distinguished Expert rating for Handgun.

Memberships: Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (Life member), American Civil Liberties Union, American Society of International Law, International Association of Genocide Scholars, Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society, National Council of Editorial Writers, National Rifle Association (Benefactor member), National Society of Newspaper Columnists, Triple Nine Society. Zionist Organization of America.

Research Areas

Criminal Justice

Digital Economy

Environment

Health, Education & Welfare

History

International

Media Analysis

Religion

Right to Arms: USA

Right to Arms: International

Terrorism (and Fahrenheit 911)

Waco

Favorite links.

World Languages

Français.

Italiano. Nuovo: Intervista a David B. Kopel.

Español. El Control de Armas en Japón.

Polski /Polish.

Português.

Český /Czech

Magyar /Hungarian. új: Az ENSZ bûntárs volt az izraeli katonák elrablásában.

Pусский/Russian. Виктор Бут ждёт решения. Victor Bout Awaits the Resolution. Extradition of Russian arms dealer captured in Thailand. 10 апреля, 2008. MP3.

Deutsch /German. Zur Tragödie von Virginia Tech

Nederlands /Dutch.

Svenska /Swedish.

Dansk /Danish.

繁體中文 /Chinese.

日本語 Full-text Japanese version of this entire website.

Great new website: JerryKopel.com. My father's essays on Colorado and national politics, based on his 22 years of service as a Colorado State Representative

To contact Kopel, write "david",  then "@", then "davidkopel.org"

Browse or shop at Dave Kopel's Great Books and Great Movies pages.

Dave's co-authors.

Legal: Wisconsin Right to Life vs. FEC. This is case returned to the Supreme Court in 2007, with oral arguments in April. The plaintiffs hope that the case may place some First Amendment limits on McCain-Feingold's speech-suppression laws. The amicus brief in which the Independence Institute participated is here. A collection of other briefs and documents is here. It is a good test case because the advertisement in question (urging Wisconsin citizens to tell Senator Feingold stop supporting the filibusters of Bush-nominated judges) was plainly a communication about the business of Congress, rather than a thinly-disguised campaign advertisement (e.g., "Tell Senator Snort that you're upset that he was arrested for domestic violence 10 years ago.") Yet the advertisement was claimed to be illegal by the FEC because it was aired within 60 days of the general election.

Click for details on Kopel's citation by 8 State Supreme Courts, by federal courts, and in over 400 law review articles. New: Kopel cited by Wisconsin Supreme Court in May 2006 decision.

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