Egon Cohen (Temple University) & Kristina M. Johnson (Enduring Hydro) have posted The Restricted Firearms License: A Proposal to Preserve Second Amendment Rights and Reduce Gun Violence in the United States (Yale Law & Policy Review, Forthcoming) on SSRN. Here is the abstract:
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In response to the growing national conversation about gun violence and gun control, we propose the establishment of a “Restricted Firearms License” (RFL) program, utilizing a background check similar to that instituted by the National Firearms Act, to license the ownership of handguns and semi-automatic weapons.
Our proposal examines the logistics of such a licensing program, as well as the efficacy of both the RFL and other alternative policy proposals, such as a renewal of the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban. We conclude that a licensing program is the only constitutional method for ensuring the effective regulation of all of the handguns and semi-automatics primarily responsible for gun violence in the U.S.
