Gun Laws + The Strange History of the NRA with Author Adam Winkler

Gun laws and the history of the NRA-including how it went from lobbying for more gun control, to vehemently opposing any restrictions on gun ownership today-is examined with author Adam Winkler. Why gun prohibitions don’t seem to work, fear of the government ‘coming to take your guns,’ and the bizarre case of Reginald Gildersleeve-who was shot by a man licensed to carry a concealed weapon as Gildersleeve allegedly was robbing a market in Chicago-are explored in a discussion that cuts through the politicized arguments about gun control and the 2nd amendment. From mass shootings, to local bans on heavy weaponry, Michael Parker hosts this uncensored Antidote interview.

Guest Bio

Adam Winkler is a specialist in American constitutional law. His scholarship has been cited and quoted in landmark Supreme Court cases, including opinions on the Second Amendment and on corporate political speech rights. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, New Republic, The Atlantic, Slate, Scotusblog, and The Daily Beast. He is a frequent commentator about legal issues and has appeared on CNN, NBC Nightly News, the Newshour, ABC News, All Things Considered, Marketplace, and public radio stations across the country. He is the author of over two dozen scholarly articles; co-editor of the Encyclopedia of the American Constitution (2d Edition); and has written over 100 opinion pieces on legal issues. In 2011, he published Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America (W. W. Norton), which the Los Angeles Times called “intellectually satisfying, emotionally rewarding…an antidote to so much in the gun debate that is one-sided and dishonest.”