Day 1

1.  GET E-CLICKER AUDIENCE AND CREATE AN APPROPRIATE USER NAME.

2.  Hurricane Katrina Review
3.  Flint, Michigan Water Crisis: Who is to blame?
4.  Endangered Species Act of 1973: How is this an example of FEDERALISM?

FEDERALISM TEST ON DAY 3

The two sides of the Federalism debate that began with the Framers.  Think about which side you agree with and why?

Federalists: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay

Federalist: favored a strong but balanced central government; pessimistic about human nature, distrustful of putting all the power in the hands of the people. Believed that the masses need the government to maintain order; elitist.  

Anti-federalists: Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Sam Adams
Anti-Federalist: favored stronger state government with a weak national government; thought that strong state governments were closer to the people; worried about a too tyrannical national government; argued that a strong national government would render states powerless; worried about heavy taxation by a national government; feared a violation of liberties, concerned about lack of a Bill of Rights. (They would only ratify the Constitution after the Bill of Rights was added.)

 

Tenth Amendment U.S. Constitution

The Powers Not Delegated To The United States By The Constitution, Nor Prohibited By It To The States, Are Reserved To The States Respectively, Or To The People. 

WHERE DO WE SEE EXAMPLES OF THE 10TH AMENDMENT TODAY?

SECOND AMENDMENT U.S. CONSTITUTION
The right to bear arms is guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: “A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

Who regulates guns? 

Currently gun control is a mixture of federal, states, and sometimes local legislation.  

                              Federal legislation: “Brady Bill” (named after the aide who was shot during the assassination attempt on President Reagan) 

1. 
   
   • In 1994, the U.S. Congress passed the “Brady Bill”, which is considered by many to be the most restrictive federal policy ever enacted. This bill imposed a five-day waiting period for the purchase of guns and also required local law enforcement to conduct background checks on purchasers.
     
   • However, the Supreme Court ruled in 1997 that the background check provision was unconstitutional because it infringed upon state’s rights. The bill was amended and now requires that background checks are conducted by gun dealers through access to a national database. The five-day waiting period for gun purchase also was revoked.
     
   • In 1994, Congress also banned 19 kinds of military-style assault weapons. However, Congress let the 10-year old ban expire in September of 2004. Although some states, such as California, Massachusetts, New York, and Hawaii, still ban these types of weapons at the state level. 
       
     State and local legislation: There is great variability among states, as well as localities, regarding gun control.  
   These are the main areas in which gun control legislation varies:
   
   1. Child access prevention (In some states, it is a crime to have a loaded weapon within easy access of a minor.)
      
   2. Concealed weapons laws (States vary on whether you need to get a permit or license to carry a concealed weapon. For example, in Nebraska, Kansas, Wisconsin and Illinois you may not carry a concealed weapon.)
      
   3. Regulation of private sales to minors (Under federal law, minors under 18 may not possess a gun at all, and minors 18-21years may not purchase a gun from gun dealers. However, in some states, minors 18 and over may purchase guns freely through private sales.

4. Regulation of secondary sales (States vary on whether or not they require secondary markets for guns to be regulated through permits or licenses. In states that do not regulate secondary sales, such sales have become known as the “gun show” loophole.)
5. “One gun per month” ban (Some states allow the purchase of only one gun every month)
6. Ban on “Saturday Night Specials” and “junk guns” (Some states ban these lightweight,
   easily concealed guns. Many cities within states have outlawed them as well)
7. Preemption (Some states, with the support of gun control opponents, have prevented local
   authorities from passing their own gun control legislation. In states without these preemption laws, some cities, such as NYC, credit their local gun control legislation to significant crime reduction.)
   
8. Waiting periods (Some states also require state background checks for gun purchases, and some also require waiting periods for purchases.)