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George Mason Univ. Symposium, pt. 3

The third panel was on international matters. The first speaker was Joyce Lee Malcolm, formerly prof. of history at Bentley College, and presently prof. of law at George Mason. She gave a presentation on how the British right to self-defense, let alone to arms, has decayed. Two examples stand out in memory. First, a British official has instructed the public that if it comes to their attention that they are being burglarized, the family should retreat into a room, preferrably the bathroom, barricade the door as best they can, and wait until it is safe to come out. The other was the case of a woman who had been terrorized by some juvenile thugs for some time, and .... swore at them. She was charged with some manner of criminal act, fined 80 pounds, and the fine was increased to 120 pounds upon appeal. Police explained that by swearing at the thugs she "took the law into her own hands."

Joyce also talked about how gun laws had been stiffened in several countries, Australia, Canada, and Great Britain, I believe, in the wake of mass shootings, and how violent crime in each had skyrocketed.

Dave Kopel then spoke on international law, illustrating how the fathers of the field had, in the 17th century, all recognized self-defense as a core right, both for nations and for individuals. They had treated it not merely as an individual right, but as something that lay at the core of any well-ordered society: dealing with a thug is not just exercise of a private right, but doing the work of the public and conferring a benefit upon other honest citizens. He pointed out how the modern UN is departing from the very core of international law in this regard.

[update to comment--I know the proceedings were videotaped. I don't know about plans to make them available, but did suggest it.]