Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2021
Abstract
The American gun debate is increasingly populated with scenes of people pointing and otherwise displaying guns. What is the legal regime governing gun displays, and how well can it address the distinct social and legal problems they pose? In this Essay, we argue that the current structure of criminal law does not supply clear rules of conduct sufficient to avoid the negative effects of gun displays, and that the rhetorical and expressive effects of Second Amendment debates threaten to make the situation worse. We also suggest how the legal rules might be improved, and how battles over norms—as much as criminal prohibitions and defenses—will continue to shape both social practice and law when it comes to displays of firearms in public and towards other persons.
Citation
Joseph Blocher et al., Pointing Guns, 99 Texas Law Review 1173-1200 (2021)
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Firearms ownership, Firearms--Law and legislation, Self-defense (Law)
Included in
Criminal Law Commons, Law and Race Commons, Law and Society Commons, Second Amendment Commons
Available at: https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/faculty_scholarship/4065