Top 10 Posts of the Year for 2023

It’s been yet another busy year for the Second Amendment and firearms law—and we’ve covered many of the major issues, cases, and controversies here on Second Thoughts.  The Supreme Court heard oral argument in United States v. Rahimi in early November, just slightly over a year after it released the Bruen decision.  Rahimi could have major consequences for Second Amendment jurisprudence, if the justices choose to broadly clarify certain aspects of Bruen’s historical-analogical test that have led to conflicting outcomes in the lower courts. 

Looking back over the past year, below are our top ten most-read blog posts that were published in 2023 (based on viewership from January 1, 2023 through December 28, 2023):

1. Litigation Highlight: Legal Challenges to ATF Rule on Stabilizing Braces by A.W. Geisel
2. Litigation Highlight: Split Fifth Circuit Panel Renews Injunction Against ATF’s Stabilizing Brace Rule by A.W. Geisel
3. Fifth Circuit Strikes Down Domestic-Violence Prohibitor in United States v. Rahimi by Andrew Willinger
4. Litigation Highlight: Federal Judge Enjoins Pistol Brace Rule and Finds Irreparable Harm based on Likely Second Amendment Violation by Andrew Willinger
5. Founding Fantasies vs. Historical Realities in the Second Amendment Debate by Saul Cornell
6. Taking Aim at New York’s Concealed Carry Improvement Act by Leo Bernabei
7. Court Battles Over Assault Weapon Bans—And A New California Ruling by Jake Charles
8. The Confused Ninth Circuit Decision Striking Down Hawaii’s Butterfly Knife Ban by Jake Charles
9. How Have State Gun Laws Changed Since Bruen? by Andrew Willinger
10. By the Numbers: How Disruptive Has Bruen Been? by Jake Charles

The Supreme Court is poised to release its decision in Rahimi by the end of the current term in June, and other major Second Amendment cases are gradually filtering up to the high court.  2024 seems certain to be another eventful year in firearms law and you can follow developments here on the blog.  Happy New Year!