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Examining The Lautenberg Amendment In The Civilian And Military Contexts: Congressional Overreaching, Statutory Vagueness, Ex Post Facto Violations, And Implementation Flaws, Jessica A. Golden

Fordham Urban Law Journal

The Lautenberg Amendment to the Gun Control Act of 1968 was passed in 1996 with the purpose of preventing gun-related domestic violence. The Lautenberg Amendment's passage raises unique commerce clause issues, and the amendment is possibly unconstitutional. Part I of the article examines the Commerce Clause (and Tenth Amendment) challenges to the Lautenberg Amendment. It provides the history of cases thus far failing to successfully challenge the constitutionality of the Lautenberg Amendment. It then discusses the Supreme Court's decision in Morrison v. Olson, that struck down the civil remedies provision of the Violence Against Women Act as a violation of …