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Monday, August 19, 2019

Today's Request for Intelligence

When my students ask what my hobbies are, I tell them amateur astronomy and subverting California government.  I am being paid to do that for an upcoming challenge to California's ban on open carry.

Their side has written a brief that is embarrassingly bad: citations to laws that are not even remotely similar to their claims.  What I need are examples from 1789 - 1830 demonstrating that guns were commonly carried in the U.S., most usefully in cities.  Using the Library of Congress' Chronicling America website, I have searched for pistol with 10 words of carry, tavern, bar, street.  Any other suggestions?

Challenging California's new open carry ban.

9 comments:

  1. You would think cities like Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Nashville and Natchez would at least have something recognizing that me were entering and leaving the city carrying arms of every description.

    Have you tried Duel or Dueling? Contrary to gun control history it seems to have happened quite often with men leaving the major city for a nearby community such as Bladensburg were the act of honor would occur.

    I like the duel of Governor Claiborne of New Orleans which was held on the plantation of his opponent in Baton Rogue. Not only was it held outside of New Orleans, but Baton Rogue was Spanish territory.

    I wonder if anyone knew Jean Lafitte was carrying when he was confronted for holding an illegal slave auction on the edge of New Orleans.

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  2. robber, protected, weapon pistol revolver shot

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  3. Try using different terms for pistol (using proper time ideas, so "colt" wouldn't work - he hadn't changed the world yet). - pepperbox?

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  4. derringer
    firearm
    sword
    city/town
    street/road/boulevard
    residence/residential
    public
    square
    park
    sidewalk
    alley
    thoroughfare
    tenement
    store
    mayor
    governor
    attorney
    lawyer
    senator
    representative
    whip/whipped
    flee/fled
    fire/fired
    shot/shoot
    kill/killed
    constable
    business
    gentleman
    servant
    crowd/crowded
    busy
    discharge/discharged
    scare/scared
    threaten/threatened

    I suggest using the Corpus of Founding Era American English (“COFEA”) and the Corpus of Early Modern English (“COEME”) which have colocator ability.

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  5. Killed, defended, shot, attacked, knife, pocket...

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  6. There is this.

    https://pastnow.wordpress.com/2013/09/04/september-4-1813-andrew-jackson-in-a-gun-fight/

    The Benton gun fight is especially on point since it was not an organized duel but an encounter with both Jackson and the Bentons carrying. In Nashville.

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