Special Committee on Gun Violence

U.S. v. Miller, 307 U.S. 174 (1939)
In U.S. V. Miller, 307 U.S. 174 (939) the Court upheld a federal law criminalizing the shipment of a sawed-off shotgun in interstate commerce. Concluding that the "obvious purpose" of the Second Amendment was "to assure the continuation and render possible the effectiveness" of the state militia, the Court refused to strike down the law on Second Amendment grounds absent any evidence that a sawed-off shotgun had "some reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a well regulated militia." The Court added that without this evidence, "we cannot say that the Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear such an instrument."

Lewis v. United States, 445 U.S. 55 (1980)
In Lewis v. United States, 445 U.S. 55 (1980), the Court ruled that restrictions contained in the Gun Control Act of 1968 prohibiting felons from owning firearms were constitutional. Using a "rational basis" standard, the Court held that the restrictions "do not trench upon any constitutionally protected liberties." Further, the Court reaffirmed the position first established in U.S. v. Miller that "the Second Amendment guarantees not right to keep and bear a firearm that does not have ‘some reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a well regulated militia’".

U.S. Court of Appeals

• U.S. v. Emerson, 270 F.3d 203 (5^th Cir. 2001)
• U.S. v. Oakes, 564 F.2d 384 (10^th Cir. 1977), cert. denied, 435 U.S. 926 (1978)
• U.S. v. Swinton, 521 F.2d 1255 (10^th Cir. 1975)
• U.S. v. Hale, 978 F.2d 1016 (8^th Cir. 1992)
• U.S. v. Nelsen, 859 F.2d 1318 (8^th Cir. 1988)
• U.S. v. Cody, 460 F.2d 34 (8^th Cir. 1972)
• U.S. v. Decker, 446 F.2d 164 (8^th Cir. 1971)
• U.S. v. Synnes, 438 F.2d 764 (8^th Cir. 1971), vacated on other grounds, 404 U.S. 1009 (1972)
• Quilici v. Village of Morton Grove, 695 F.2d 261 (7^th Cir. 1982), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 863 (1983)
• Stevens v. United States, 440 F.2d 144 (6^th Cir. 1971)
• U.S. v. Day, 476 F.2d 562 (6^th Cir. 1973)
• U.S. v. Warin, 530 F.2d 103 (6^th Cir. 1976), cert. denied, 426 U.S. 948 (1976)
• U.S. v. Johnson, Jr., 441 F.2d 1134 (5^th Cir. 1971)
• U.S. v. Johnson, 497 F.2d 548 (4^th Cir. 1974)
• U.S. v. Tot, 131 F.2d 261 (3^rd Cir. 1942), reversed on other grounds, 319 U.S. 463 (1943)
• U.S. v. Toner, 728 F.2d 115 (2^nd Cir. 1984)
• Cases v. U.S, 131 F.2d 916 (1^st Cir. 1942), cert. denied sub nom., Velazquez v. U.S., 319 U.S. 770 (1943)
• U.S. v. Friel, 1 F.3d 1231 (1^st Cir. 1993)

U.S. Federal District Courts

• U.S. v. Emerson, ___ 46 F.Supp.2d 598 (N.D. Tex. 1999)
• U.S. v. Gross, 313 F.Supp. 1330 (S.D. Ind. 1970), affirmed on other grounds, 451 F.2d 1355 (7^th Cir. 1971)
• U.S. v. Kraase, 340 F.Supp. 147 (E.D. Wis. 1972)
• Thompson v. Dereta, 549 F.Supp. 297 (D. Utah 1982)
• Vietnamese Fishermen’s Association v. KKK, 543 F.Supp. 198 (S.D. Tex. 1982)
• U.S. v. Kozerski, 518 F.Supp. 1082 (D.N.H. 1981), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 842 (1984)

State Courts

• Arnold v. Cleveland, 616 N.E.2d 163 (1993)
• Burton v. Sills, 248 A.2d 521 (N.J. 1968), appeal dismissed, 394 U.S. 812 (1969)
• In Re Atkinson, 291 N.W.2d 396 (Minn. 1980)
• City of East Cleveland v. Scales, 460 N.E.2d 1126 (Ohio App. 1983)
• Commonwealth v. Davis, 343 N.E.2d 847 (Mass. 1976)
• Masters v. State, 653 S.W.2d 944 (Tex.App.3 1983)
• Sandidge v. U.S., 520 A.2d 1057 (D.C. 1987), cert. denied, 108 S.Ct. 193 (1987)
• State v. Fennell, 382 S.E.2d 231 (N.C. 1989)
• Kalodimos v. Village of Morton Grove, 470 N.E.2d 266 (Ill. 1984)
• State v. Vlacil, 645 P.2d 677 (Utah 1982)
• Harris v. State, 432 P.2d 929 (Nev. 1967)