What Does Dangerous And Unusual Actually Mean? The Assault Weapon Ban Case Explained

The Supreme Court just took a case about assault weapon bans, and the whole fight turns on four words from Heller: dangerous and unusual. Attorney Alan Beck, who won Wolford at the Supreme Court, wrote an amicus brief arguing that courts have had those words backwards for years. Unusual never meant rare. It meant carrying a weapon in a way meant to terrify people, and the distinction goes back to English common law in 1328.

Also this week: a retired Navy SEAL says 18 year olds cannot be trusted with a firearm off duty, and we take that apart. Anti gun groups demanded better data on defensive gun use and got a number more than twice what they expected. A school board candidate in South San Diego County gets attacked for our endorsement, and her reason for carrying is one nobody bothered to ask about. Plus the Dixie Chicks, and a straight answer on which home defense shotgun to buy.

Chapters:

0:00 Cold open: soldiers are not allowed in my home

0:48 Welcome, and why the voter guide matters

4:31 Michael gets Judge Benitez to sign a 60 round magazine

10:34 The Madison quote that stuck with Alisha

14:14 What is on the show today

14:47 How Good Are You: the September 23 training day with Dave Reed

15:44 Win a Springfield Echelon at SDCGO.org/sweepstakes

17:41 Attorney Alan Beck on what dangerous and unusual really means

19:31 Where the phrase comes from: English common law and the 1328 Statute of Northampton