On May 24, 2022 a lone gunman entered Robb Elementary school in Uvalde Texas and killed 2 teachers and 19 students.  A few days later the spouse of one of the two teachers also died of a heart attack leaving behind 4 orphaned children.  This was not the first mass shooting in recent history.  Weeks before on May 14, 2022, ten people were killed in Buffalo. New York while grocery shopping.  The deceased were all African-American  the perpetrator was later found to have written racist messages on the actual firearm used in the crime erasing all doubt of his intent to kill black people while espousing an idea  called “” great replacement theory”an idea that there is a leftist conspiracy to open the Southern border sot that white Americans will eventually be replaced and outnumbered by people of color who will vote presumably according to the proponents for Democratic candidates and policies.  Just a month before, a mass shooting occurred on the Subway in Brooklyn, New York injured 29 New Yorkers after a lone gunman opened fire on crowded train.  There was also a church shooting of an Asian American congregation in Southern California in May 2022.  The school shooting in Uvalde took us back to Sandy Hook, Columbine and the other incidents triggered memories of other mass shooting all to frequent in our history.  The United States is the outlier in this area having more mass shootings than any other country in the world.  In this episode Professor John O’Connor, constitutional law professor and podcast host and Attorney Jessica discuss the following:

• What does the second amendment to the US constitution require?• What does Professor O’Connor think the major interpretations to the second amendment involve?• What is the difference between textualism and originalism with respect to the US Constitution?• What is a “living Constitution?• Would a new amendment be possible to change the second amendment?• Discussion of the relevant Supreme Court case law in the Heller v. District of Columbia, 554 U.S. 570 (2008) and McDonald v. City of Chicago, 561 U.S. 572 (2010) that have shaped where we are today• How much regulation is constitutionally permissible?• How is the new makeup of the Supreme Court likely to influence a decision on gun control?• Will the Supreme Court take up a gun control case again soon?• What are the policy reasons that might make a new look at this fundamental right to bear arms  worth examining with new perspectives?• What does Professor O’Connor think of the arming of teachers and other related proposals to prevent school shootings?• What type of online link is there to mass shootings? Should social media do better to spot these type of posts?• What are the human rights issues surrounding gun policy and gun control

 

Jessica Smith Bobadilla is the host of the podcast  as well as an attorney, former law professor and media commentator. Her website is http://www.attorneyjessica.com.  You can contact Jessica and the podcast by email at iamattorneyjessicapodcast.com with feedback and show ideas.  

John M. O'ConnorJ.D., University of California, Hastings College of LawM.A., University of Southern California, Annenberg School for CommunicationsB.A., Pomona CollegeProfessor  O'Connor has been the Research Attorney for the Madera Superior Court for the last seven years. Prior to that he was in private practice in Los Angeles, California, where his practice involved civil litigation (covering real estate, commercial lease, intellectual property, and employment disputes, among other areas) in state and federal courts.  In addition to Constitutional Law I and II he has also taught evidence, criminal procedure and professional responsibility at San Joaquin College of Law in Clovis, California.  

Professor O’ Connor is the host of two podcasts you can find on You Tube and other platforms. The first podcast is dedicated  to You can reach the podcast on Twitter at @proseandconlaw. He is launching a new podcast called Ke