The Gun Lobby’s Hidden Hand in the 2nd Amendment Battle
Case after case challenging gun restrictions cites the same Georgetown professor.
His seemingly independent work has undisclosed ties to pro-gun interests.
A little-known political economist at Georgetown University,
Dr. English conducted a largest-of-its-kind national survey
that found gun owners frequently used their weapons for self-defense.
That finding has been deployed by gun rights activists to notch legal victories with far-reaching consequences.
He has been cited in a landmark Supreme Court case that invalidated many restrictions on guns,
and in scores of lawsuits around the country to overturn limits on assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and the carrying of firearms.
His findings were also offered in anotherSupreme Court case this term, with a decision expected this month.
Dr. English seems at first glance to be an impartial researcher
interested in data-driven insights.
He has said his “scholarly arc” focuses on good public policy,
and his lack of apparent ties to the gun lobby has lent credibility to his work.
But Dr. English’s interest in firearms is more than academic:
He has received tens of thousands of dollars as a paid expert for gun rights advocates,
and his survey work, which he says was part of a book project, originated as research for a National Rifle Association-backed lawsuit, The New York Times has found.
He has also increasingly drawn scrutiny in some courts over the reliability and integrity of his unpublished survey,
which is the core of his research,
and his refusal to disclose who paid for it.
Other researchers say that the wording of some questions could elicit answers overstating defensive gun use,
and that he cherry-picked pro-gun responses.
“I have been struck by the enormous attention and influence the William English paper has had,” said Joseph Blocher, co-director of the Center for Firearms Law at Duke University.
“It just sort of came out of nowhere, posted online without going through formal peer review, and by a guy most of us had never heard of.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/18/us/gun-laws-georgetown-professor.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Chuck Darwin /
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2024-06-18 14:36:14
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"content": "The Gun Lobby’s Hidden Hand in the 2nd Amendment Battle\n\nCase after case challenging gun restrictions cites the same Georgetown professor. \n\nHis seemingly independent work has undisclosed ties to pro-gun interests.\n\nA little-known political economist at Georgetown University, \nDr. English conducted a largest-of-its-kind national survey \nthat found gun owners frequently used their weapons for self-defense. \n\nThat finding has been deployed by gun rights activists to notch legal victories with far-reaching consequences.\n\nHe has been cited in a landmark Supreme Court case that invalidated many restrictions on guns, \nand in scores of lawsuits around the country to overturn limits on assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and the carrying of firearms. \n\nHis findings were also offered in anotherSupreme Court case this term, with a decision expected this month.\n\nDr. English seems at first glance to be an impartial researcher \ninterested in data-driven insights. \n\nHe has said his “scholarly arc” focuses on good public policy, \nand his lack of apparent ties to the gun lobby has lent credibility to his work.\n\nBut Dr. English’s interest in firearms is more than academic: \nHe has received tens of thousands of dollars as a paid expert for gun rights advocates, \nand his survey work, which he says was part of a book project, originated as research for a National Rifle Association-backed lawsuit, The New York Times has found.\n\nHe has also increasingly drawn scrutiny in some courts over the reliability and integrity of his unpublished survey, \nwhich is the core of his research, \nand his refusal to disclose who paid for it. \n\nOther researchers say that the wording of some questions could elicit answers overstating defensive gun use, \nand that he cherry-picked pro-gun responses.\n\n“I have been struck by the enormous attention and influence the William English paper has had,” said Joseph Blocher, co-director of the Center for Firearms Law at Duke University. \n\n“It just sort of came out of nowhere, posted online without going through formal peer review, and by a guy most of us had never heard of.”\n\nhttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/18/us/gun-laws-georgetown-professor.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share\u0026referringSource=articleShare",
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