I spent the day the National Firearms Law Seminar sponsored by the NRA Foundation. It was the 22nd annual seminar put on by them. I try to attend these every other year to catch up with what’s what with firearms law and Second Amendment litigation.
The day started out with introductory remarks from Carol Frampton who is a NRA Board Member and chair of the seminar committee. She kept things moving along throughout the day.
The highlights of the day for me were (in no order) Prof. George Mocsary’s presentation on judicial defiance of Heller, the ethics lecture from Indiana Supreme Court Justice Steven David, a presentation on terminal ballistics from neurosurgeon Dr. Paul Maurer, and finally the lunch time presentation by my friend Prof. David Yamane on gun culture 2.0 and his conversion from a non-gun owner to a concealed handgun carrier.
Of these presentations you are probably wondering why I liked the ethics presentation. The answer is that Justice David – formerly Col. Steven David, JAG, USAR (retired) was entertaining while getting his point across. For example, he had the misfortune of being named the Chief Defense Counsel at Guantanamo Bay for the 9-11 plotters. His point was that lawyers had a duty to represent their clients, and act professionally and responsibly even when they don’t like their clients. As it put it, two sides, one oath.
Aaron Kendal of The Shekel Blog and an attorney in Michigan has published posts on each of the presentations. They give a good thumbnail summation of each presentation.
Judicial Defiance of Heller and A Survey of Current 2A Litigation
Ethics Presentation
State Constitutional Arms Provision
Gun Culture 2.0, or How a Liberal Professor Became An Armed American
FBI NICS Checks and Appeals
Gun Rights and The VA
Terminal Ballistics
On Making and Gunsmithing Weapons
Shooting Ranges and the Noise and Environmental Issues They Face
by