Colloquium on Localism, Popular Constitutionalism, Preemption, and Firearms

At the end of April, the Center for Firearms Law was delighted to host a colloquium on the topic of Localism, Popular Constitutionalism, Preemption, and Firearms.   Veterans of state and local government law and constitutional law,  as well as new voices, all convened (via Zoom) for a wide-ranging discussion on the intersections between local regulation, preemption, immigration, pandemic response, and firearms.

The participants were Joseph Blocher (Duke), Richard Briffault (Columbia), Jake Charles (Duke), Katherine Mims Crocker (William & Mary), Dave Fagundes (Houston), Shawn Fields (Campbell), Pratheepan Gulasekaram (Santa Clara), Alli Orr Larsen (William & Mary), Darrell Miller (Duke), Rich Schragger (UVA), Ken Stahl  (Chapman), Rick Su (UNC), and Sarah Swan (FSU).

We had initially planned for the colloquium to be in person and hosted at Duke, but the coronavirus intervened, and we instead conducted the event entirely online.   Aside from the inability to grab a meal and a drink together, we were pleased with the results.   The papers were engaging, and the discussion insightful and timely.

Of particular interest was the issue of Second Amendment sanctuaries and how they correspond (or fail to correspond) to the law and politics surrounding immigration sanctuaries.   It was especially rewarding to have persons with deep interest and experience in other areas of law connect their knowledge to the developing field of firearms law.

This week we’ll be publishing blog posts by many of the scholars who participated in the colloquium.