Briefs
Legal explainers
The law behind the news, explained in a few minutes by the experts who know it best.
Filter by Topic
11:221.1K viewsBUMP STOCKS:GARLAND v.CARGILL
Garland v. Cargill (on Bump Stocks) Explained
Prof. Joseph Blocher · Duke Law School
Why the Supreme Court said a bump stock is not a "machinegun" under federal law, and what Congress can do.
9:30SECONDAMENDMENTORIGINALISM
The Second Amendment & Originalism
Prof. Jake Charles · Pepperdine Caruso Law
What originalism means, how it shaped Heller and Bruen, and the main arguments for and against it.
19:244.1K viewsU.S. v.RAHIMI
U.S. v. Rahimi Explained
Prof. Joseph Blocher · Duke Law School
Why the Supreme Court upheld disarming people under domestic violence orders, and how it refined Bruen.
15:28GUN MAKERS'IMMUNITY
PLCAA & Gun Manufacturer's Immunity
Prof. Jody Madeira · Indiana Maurer Law
How the PLCAA shields gun makers and sellers from lawsuits, and the exceptions victims have used to sue.
13:231.8K viewsMENTALILLNESS &GUN RIGHTS
Mental Illness and Gun Rights
Prof. Jody Madeira · Indiana Maurer Law
Who federal law disarms for mental health reasons, how red flag laws differ, and how rights are restored.
12:551.2K viewsGUNS ANDDOMESTICVIOLENCE
Restricting Guns in Cases of Domestic Violence
Prof. Jody Madeira · Indiana Maurer Law
How federal and state law disarm domestic abusers, the boyfriend loophole, the stalking gap, and Rahimi.
11:03ARE GUNLAWSRACIST?
Are Gun Laws Racist?
Prof. Darrell A. H. Miller · UChicago Law
From the Black Codes to the Mulford Act: how race shaped American gun laws and what that history means today.
15:37737 views1ST v. 2NDAMENDMENT
1st v. 2nd: What Happens When Amendments Collide?
Prof. Joseph Blocher · Duke Law School
Is carrying a gun speech? Can protests be gun-free? How courts handle clashes between speech and gun rights.
12:4520K viewsNYSRPA v.BRUEN
NYSRPA v. Bruen
Prof. Jake Charles · Pepperdine Caruso Law
How the Supreme Court recognized a right to carry in public and replaced balancing with a history test
10:42548 viewsFIREARMPREEMPTIONLAWS
Firearm Preemption Laws
Prof. Darrell A. H. Miller · UChicago Law
How states block local gun rules, what punitive preemption adds, and what gun sanctuaries can and cannot do.
6:001.1K viewsGUNBACKGROUNDCHECKS
Gun Background Check Law Explained
Prof. Jake Charles · Pepperdine Caruso Law
Who must run a gun background check, what NICS screens for, and why many private sales are exempt.
11:0574K viewsFELONGUN BANS:LEGAL?
Are Felon Gun Bans Constitutional?
Prof. Jake Charles · Pepperdine Caruso Law
Civic virtue or dangerousness? How courts weigh lifetime gun bans for people with felony records after Bruen
7:333.2K viewsMcDONALDv. CHICAGO
McDonald v. City of Chicago Explained
Prof. Darrell A. H. Miller · UChicago Law
How the 2010 case applied the Second Amendment to state and local governments through incorporation
9:21969 viewsGUN LAWSAT THEFOUNDING
Gun Laws at the Founding
Prof. Darrell A. H. Miller · UChicago Law
Militia rules, gunpowder storage, and the Statute of Northampton: why 18th-century gun laws matter today
8:30828 views2ND-CLASSRIGHT?
Is the 2nd Amendment a 2nd Class Right?
Prof. Joseph Blocher · Duke Law School
Do courts give the right to bear arms less respect than other rights? What the record shows.
16:001.2K viewsGUNS INSENSITIVEPLACES
Sensitive Places under the Second Amendment
Prof. Joseph Blocher · Duke Law School
Where can guns be banned? How courts use history and analogy to decide which places are sensitive.
13:324.3K viewsDC v.HELLER
DC v. Heller Explained
Prof. Joseph Blocher · Duke Law School
The 2008 case that recognized an individual right to keep a handgun at home, and the limits it described.
7:333.5K viewsTEXT,HISTORY &TRADITION
Text, History, & Tradition Test
Prof. Joseph Blocher · Duke Law School
How Bruen replaced the two-part framework for gun laws, and why history can be hard to apply
8:59843 viewsGUN-FREEZONES:THE LIMITS
The Limits of Gun-Free Zones
Prof. Joseph Blocher · Duke Law School
Right after Bruen, a look at what makes a place sensitive enough to ban guns, and why it is hard to say