For readers familiar with Kurt Vonnegut’s sci-fi classic—fair warning that I’m not going to tell a semi-autobiographical, nihilistic story about aliens and time travel. I’m just not that creative! But when I read the prospective majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health leaked by Politico earlier this month, the first phrase that came to…
Gun Control, Texas Style
A Second Amendment case recently argued before the Supreme Court has the potential to drastically increase the number of people carrying handguns in the United States. According to the plaintiff, an NRA affiliate called NYSRPA, the New York handgun licensing law in question breaks with historical tradition by requiring permit applicants to demonstrate a heightened…
Abbott’s NYSRPA Brief is #NotTexas
Last month the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in what promises to be a landmark Second Amendment case. NYSRPA v. Bruen looks like an opportunity for the court to provide some guidance on what types of state and local firearm regulations are permissible under the Second Amendment. The question of gun-law historicity has taken…
Racism and Welfare in America
Today I ran across a great article from The Atlantic about racism and the American welfare system. The author’s point is that the individual states are in control of which of their residents receive welfare benefits (called TANF—Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), and those with substantial non-white populations tend to be more stingy with them.…
Brennan Gardner Rivas, PhD 