I don’t know if this is a real letter-to-the-editor or if Major Caudill really exists, but this is a very strong statement in favor of the civilizing impact of firearms. And since I like to share good things that arrive in my inbox, it’s now yours to share. I recall…
Daily Analysis
Article on Bail Bondsmen Suggests New Nickname for the Private Sector: “Is There Anything It Can’t Do”?
Alex Tabarrok has a fascinating article in the Wilson Quarterly about the history of bail bondsmen and their role in this privatized segment of the criminal justice system. Let’s start by excerpting some history of the system. Bail began in medieval England as a…
Gun Control and the Tuscon Shootings
While some on the left were utterly contemptible in their efforts to blame the Tuscon shootings on anything or anyone other than the nut who pulled the trigger, it is perfectly legitimate for them to claim that the tragedy is a reason to impose gun control are erode…
I Don’t Know Whether this Should Be Called Jury Pre-Nullification, but It’s Great to See Americans Refuse to Enforce Bad Law
Nullification occurs when jurors refuse to find a defendant guilty because the underlying law is unjust (visit the Fully Informed Jury Association if you want more details). And if I ever wind up on a jury and the government was trying to throw someone in jail for a…
High Taxes Encourage Crime
We all know that alcohol prohibition was great news for organized crime in the 1920s, and we also know that drug prohibition is causing widespread societal destruction today, but taxation also can facilitate criminal behavior. Specifically, there is considerable…
Cops Arrest Homeowner for Crime of Self-Defense
A man in New York recently scared off some gang members by firing a couple of warning shots into the ground. When the cops arrived, did they congratulate the man for protecting his family and start looking for the thugs? That’s what would happen in a logical and just…
Gross Abuse of Police Power
Here’s a very disturbing story I saw on Instapundit. A cop arrested a woman for the supposed crime of not getting off her own front porch. Apparently, the cop didn’t like the fact that she was observing – and perhaps even filming on her cell phone camera – a traffic…
Is a $1 Million Fine for Speeding too Much?
Like my views on many criminal justice issues, I’m a bit conflicted about this BBC story I saw on Drudge about a Swedish driver who is being fined about $1 million by Swiss authorities for driving 180 mph. This sounds absurd (and at some level, of course, it is), but…
Tom Sowell Wisdom on Firearms and the Constitution
In addition to noting that gun control tends to increase crime by reducing the cost of being a criminal (i.e., thugs are less likely to meet armed resistance), Tom Sowell also explains that people who don’t like the Constitution should amend the document rather…
A (Narrow) Victory for the 2nd Amendment
John Lott is one of America’s leading scholars of gun rights and the 2nd Amendment. His Foxnews.com column explains today’s ruling in favor of the Constitution and explains how the 2008 Heller decision led to less murder in Washington, DC. With another…