I thought the list might be interested in this e-mail exchange between Dave Workman, senior editor of Gun-Week (and communications director of CCRKBA) and Saul Cornell of the Second Amendment Research Center, regarding the upcoming conference at SARC/OSU.
The "comprehensive web site" they plan to unveil soon should be an interesting resource on the topic. Joe W ED, CCRKBA -----Original Message----- WORKMAN MESSAGE TO CORNELL: Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 15:13:04 -0800 From: Dave Workman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: April 13 conference To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] GUN WEEK is in receipt of an announcement that Ohio Sate University is participating in a conference headlined "The Second Amendment and the Future of Gun Regulation: Historical, Legal, Policy and Cultural Perspectives." Having checked the list of scheduled speakers, who on that roster will be speaking from a pro-gun perspective? The only names I recognize are those of gun control proponents. This is balance? Please tell me more about the Second Amendment Research Center. Dave Workman Senior Editor GUN WEEK CORNELL RESPONSE TO WORKMAN: From: Second Amendment Research Center [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 2004 8:19 AM To: Dave Workman Subject: re: April 13 conference Dear Mr. Workman, Thank you very much for your recent e-mail. We appreciate your interest in the upcoming conference, "The Second Amendment and the Future of Gun Regulation: Historical, Legal, Policy and Cultural Perspectives," and in the work of the Second Amendment Research Center more generally. I have included some additional information about the Second Amendment Research Center below. In all of the work of the Second Amendment Research Center, we do our very best to highlight the best scholarship on all sides of the debates. The papers presented at the conference will try to capture the current state of the debates and to point toward new, promising avenues of inquiry. In selecting scholars to present, comment, and serve as session chairs, we have sought to ensure that diverse viewpoints are represented. However, we will not label individual participants as "gun control proponents" or "pro-gun" for a number of reasons. First, we are trying to get past that kind of labeling because we believe it has not helped to move research and scholarship forward, though we do remain cognizant of the need to include multiple, diverse viewpoints. Thus, part of our aim has been to get away from sharply polarized positions. The purpose of the conference is to present viewpoints from across the spectrum, showcase new research and new approaches, and encourage scholars working in the largely unexplored middle ground in these contentious debates. Second, we believe that the best way to understand the positions developed by all of the scholars in these debates is to read their published works on the topics of the Second Amendment and gun regulation, and to seek from those individual scholars any necessary clarification of their positions. As we are sure you can understand, imposing simple labels on complex scholarly works is a tricky business, and it is one in which we will refrain from engaging in the context of the upcoming conference. Knowing that there is, on the part of many different audiences, an interest in finding scholarly research from a range of disciplinary and ideological perspectives, we are in the process of developing a resource to provide just that. A major focus of the new Second Amendment Research Center will be a comprehensive web site offering access to scholarship from all sides of the Second Amendment debates along with a guided introduction to the controversies. The site will also feature difficult-to-obtain historical materials that shed light on the contemporary arguments. We hope to launch the site later in the Spring. We invite you and other interested parties to attend the conference in April, to use and comment on the web site, and to let us know what other sorts of resources you would find useful. We are open to considering constructive suggestions for incorporation into our medium- and long-range planning. Thank you once again for your interest. Please let us know if we can provide any additional information. Best, Saul Cornell, Director & Joe Stewart-Pirone, Program Coordinator Second Amendment Research Center (614) 247-6371 FAX (614) 292-4868 E-MAIL [EMAIL PROTECTED] John Glenn Institute 400 Stillman Hall 1947 College Road Columbus, OH 43210 http://www.glenninstitute.org More Information on Second Amendment Research Center, from 2003 press release: The right to keep and bear Arms, guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment, is provoking new controversy as legislatures across the country debate concealed carry laws and concerned citizens examine gun ownership and public safety. The Ohio State University History Department and its John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy are providing information and resources for participants in the debate with a new Second Amendment Research Center that will sponsor scholarship and conferences on the controversial amendment, create a comprehensive website featuring scholarship on all sides of the debate, and provide access to needed historical materials. "The Second Amendment reminds us that rights not only come with responsibilities, but they often come with legal obligations," comments Saul Cornell, Associate Professor of History at Ohio State and Director of the new Second Amendment Research Center. "The difficult task before us is to find a way to translate the Founders' vision into a set of policies that acknowledges the concerns of gun owners and that is consistent with the common good and the requirements of public safety." The new Center has attracted more than $400,000 in funding from the Joyce Foundation, a Chicago-based philanthropy focused on improving public policy. Located within the interdisciplinary, nonpartisan John Glenn Institute, the Center is also cosponsored by Ohio State's Moritz College of Law. Cornell, the Center's director, is a nationally known scholar of early American history. The Center is the first academic institute to present top scholarship on all sides of this contentious issue. The scholarly debate over a centuries old constitutional amendment has intersected with public concern over gun violence and legislative debates on concealed carry laws to generate fresh controversy. Cornell and Glenn Institute Director Deborah Merritt agree that the new Center will contribute to the understanding of the constitutional issues involved in legal and policy debate about gun regulation, serving as a model for the sophisticated use of history to inform public policy debates. The Center will support new scholarship related to the Second Amendment, as well as conferences drawing together experts on both sides of the debate. The Center's interdisciplinary conferences and scholarship will seek to provide policymakers with the best research from all disciplines. A major focus of the new Center will be a comprehensive website, gathering scholarship from all sides of the Second Amendment debate and offering visitors a guided introduction to the controversy. The site will also feature difficult-to-obtain historical materials that shed light on the contemporary arguments. Because scholarship related to the Second Amendment comes from many disciplines and the historical materials are hard to access, the website will be essential in informing lawyers, judges, policymakers, members of the press, students, and community members about the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment Research Center will also develop curriculum materials for high school, college, and graduate students. Ohio State will offer new interdisciplinary courses in the field, and high school teachers will learn how to incorporate Second Amendment materials in their courses. The John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy is a nonpartisan, interdisciplinary institute that engages students in public service through innovative, hands-on programs; trains public leaders throughout the state of Ohio; and sponsors policy research, conferences, and lectures on topics of international concern. For more information, please see http://www.glenninstitute.org . Based in Chicago with assets of just under $650 million, the Joyce Foundation supports efforts to strengthen public policies in ways that improve the quality of life in the Great Lakes region. Its grantmaking areas are education, employment, environment, gun violence prevention, money and politics, and culture. For more information, please see http://www.joycefdn.org/ . _______________________________________________ To post, send message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/firearmsregprof
