Brian DeLay
@briandelay.bsky.social
Berkeley Historian. Author of War of a Thousand Deserts. For Norton, finishing Aim at Empire: An international History of American Revolutions, through the Barrel of a Gun. Also 2nd Amendment cases. Birds, too. https://history.berkeley.edu/brian-delay
Pinned
Brian DeLay
@briandelay.bsky.social
· Mar 17
The Myth of Continuity in American Gun Culture — California Law Review
The Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen elevated history, text, and tradition as the sole criteria for assessing the constitutionality of firearms...
www.californialawreview.org
I'm thrilled that "The Myth of Continuity in American Gun Culture," a long (79-p.) article that I spent most of a year working on, has just been published in the California Law Review www.californialawreview.org/print/gun-co...
Powerful essay by @jrakove.bsky.social "The idea that this is a time for uncritical celebration has become a historical absurdity. The real observances are occurring in the streets of every community where citizens mobilize spontaneously against the abusive acts of government..."
February 5, 2026 at 2:40 PM
Powerful essay by @jrakove.bsky.social "The idea that this is a time for uncritical celebration has become a historical absurdity. The real observances are occurring in the streets of every community where citizens mobilize spontaneously against the abusive acts of government..."
Reposted by Brian DeLay
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
When Bezos bought @washingtonpost.com commentators framed it as the civic-minded act of a billionaire concerned with his reputation; or maybe even someone who felt a sense of gratitude and obligation for the country that made him so rich.
If Anyone Can Save the Washington Post, It’s Jeff Bezos
If I worked at the Washington Post—or even I just lived in Washington and yearned for the prosperity of my local paper—I’d be concerned about one line...
slate.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:06 PM
When Bezos bought @washingtonpost.com commentators framed it as the civic-minded act of a billionaire concerned with his reputation; or maybe even someone who felt a sense of gratitude and obligation for the country that made him so rich.
Reposted by Brian DeLay
My story on Elon Musk cutting safeguards at xAI is on the front page of today's @washingtonpost.com. I’m also among 100’s of reporters laid off. I absolutely loved my job my brilliant coworkers & the thrill of reporting @ the center of forces upending the world: AI & Silicon Valley’s political power
February 4, 2026 at 7:40 PM
My story on Elon Musk cutting safeguards at xAI is on the front page of today's @washingtonpost.com. I’m also among 100’s of reporters laid off. I absolutely loved my job my brilliant coworkers & the thrill of reporting @ the center of forces upending the world: AI & Silicon Valley’s political power
Reposted by Brian DeLay
Gun sales to the general public have been falling for years. In 2025, firearms companies found a lucrative new opportunity: arming the Trump administration’s deportation operation.
Read more: thetr.ac/dptey
Read more: thetr.ac/dptey
Gun Sellers Have Made Millions From Trump’s Deployment of Immigration Agents
Last year, the Department of Homeland Security spent a record sum on guns and ammunition, a Trace analysis found.
thetr.ac
February 2, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Gun sales to the general public have been falling for years. In 2025, firearms companies found a lucrative new opportunity: arming the Trump administration’s deportation operation.
Read more: thetr.ac/dptey
Read more: thetr.ac/dptey
Amplify Garrett's inspired reporting on decades of wrongdoing at CBP and ICE. Nearly 5000 officers & agents arrested over last 20 years. See his 50-page report documenting decades of criminality & corruption, & the threat these rotten institutions pose to democracy drive.google.com/file/d/1o4z6...
February 1, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Amplify Garrett's inspired reporting on decades of wrongdoing at CBP and ICE. Nearly 5000 officers & agents arrested over last 20 years. See his 50-page report documenting decades of criminality & corruption, & the threat these rotten institutions pose to democracy drive.google.com/file/d/1o4z6...
Reposted by Brian DeLay
We just released our last scheduled update to The Science of Gun Policy, our review of the evidence on the effects of gun laws. {thread}
www.rand.org/research/gun...
www.rand.org/research/gun...
Informing the Gun Policy Debate
New resources from RAND's decade-long Gun Policy in America initiative include a visualization tool that allows users to explore how state-level firearm mortality rates relate to a range of social and...
www.rand.org
January 31, 2026 at 2:39 AM
We just released our last scheduled update to The Science of Gun Policy, our review of the evidence on the effects of gun laws. {thread}
www.rand.org/research/gun...
www.rand.org/research/gun...
Reposted by Brian DeLay
Historians @marthasjones.bsky.social and @katemasur.bsky.social filed a critical brief on birthright citizenship in the circuit courts, showing how the story of free Black Americans' advocacy unravels the admin's lead justification for its executive order.
www.brennancenter.org/media/14006/...
www.brennancenter.org/media/14006/...
January 30, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Historians @marthasjones.bsky.social and @katemasur.bsky.social filed a critical brief on birthright citizenship in the circuit courts, showing how the story of free Black Americans' advocacy unravels the admin's lead justification for its executive order.
www.brennancenter.org/media/14006/...
www.brennancenter.org/media/14006/...
Reposted by Brian DeLay
Guess which state in the union has the highest gun death rate? Guess which state is simultaneously deregulating guns every year, eliminating the requirement to even get a permit to carry a gun in public in 2015.
www.cdc.gov/nchs/state-s...
www.cdc.gov/nchs/state-s...
January 26, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Guess which state in the union has the highest gun death rate? Guess which state is simultaneously deregulating guns every year, eliminating the requirement to even get a permit to carry a gun in public in 2015.
www.cdc.gov/nchs/state-s...
www.cdc.gov/nchs/state-s...
Reposted by Brian DeLay
After Saturday's tragic shooting, I wrote about why Minnesota "officially" isn't doing more to resist ICE — and why Trump's actions are so dangerous. www.wired.com/story/why-mi...
Why Minnesota Can't Do More to Stop ICE
Democratic lawmakers have few options that wouldn't trigger something like civil war.
www.wired.com
January 25, 2026 at 7:22 PM
After Saturday's tragic shooting, I wrote about why Minnesota "officially" isn't doing more to resist ICE — and why Trump's actions are so dangerous. www.wired.com/story/why-mi...
Reposted by Brian DeLay
“Don’t think you are going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed.”
~President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jun. 14, 1953.
~President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jun. 14, 1953.
January 23, 2026 at 2:30 PM
“Don’t think you are going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed.”
~President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jun. 14, 1953.
~President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jun. 14, 1953.
So pleased to see this hugely important position renamed for Theresa Salazar, who brilliantly served as curator of the Bancroft's massive Western Americana collection for so long. Please help us spread the word about the search for the next curator. Review of applications starts 1/31.
Theresa Salazar Curator of The Bancroft Library Western Americana Collection - Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley is hiring. Apply now!
aprecruit.berkeley.edu
January 21, 2026 at 12:36 PM
So pleased to see this hugely important position renamed for Theresa Salazar, who brilliantly served as curator of the Bancroft's massive Western Americana collection for so long. Please help us spread the word about the search for the next curator. Review of applications starts 1/31.
Reposted by Brian DeLay
Tmw the Court hears oral argument in a big 2nd Am case: Wolford v. Lopez.
The issue is whether Hawaii can change the default rule for guns on private property. HI argues it is changing to track what most prop owners want. Today, I wrote on @dukefirearmslaw.bsky.social abt a
tinyurl.com/3c2rau2w
The issue is whether Hawaii can change the default rule for guns on private property. HI argues it is changing to track what most prop owners want. Today, I wrote on @dukefirearmslaw.bsky.social abt a
tinyurl.com/3c2rau2w
Presumed Intent: Wolford, Property Default Flips, and An Unlikely Precedent | Duke Center for Firearms Law
firearmslaw.duke.edu
January 19, 2026 at 8:45 PM
Tmw the Court hears oral argument in a big 2nd Am case: Wolford v. Lopez.
The issue is whether Hawaii can change the default rule for guns on private property. HI argues it is changing to track what most prop owners want. Today, I wrote on @dukefirearmslaw.bsky.social abt a
tinyurl.com/3c2rau2w
The issue is whether Hawaii can change the default rule for guns on private property. HI argues it is changing to track what most prop owners want. Today, I wrote on @dukefirearmslaw.bsky.social abt a
tinyurl.com/3c2rau2w
Reposted by Brian DeLay
"The opinion further argued that mailing was “the most effective way to transport an individual’s firearm to his destination,” pointing to several hypothetical examples, such as a bus refusing to accept a person’s firearm as baggage when traveling from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia."
DOJ: Ban on mailing concealable firearms unconstitutional, can’t be enforced
A nearly 100-year-old federal ban on mailing handguns through the U.S. Postal Service is unconstitutional and cannot be enforced, according to an opinion released Thursday by the Department of Just…
thehill.com
January 18, 2026 at 9:10 PM
"The opinion further argued that mailing was “the most effective way to transport an individual’s firearm to his destination,” pointing to several hypothetical examples, such as a bus refusing to accept a person’s firearm as baggage when traveling from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia."
Reposted by Brian DeLay
Congratulations Dr. @berondam.bsky.social! I was so pleased to see the great review of your new book in Science this week and really look forward to reading it.
I had the honor of reading an ARC of "When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy" by @berondam.bsky.social. It is an excellent and very moving fusion of science, history, and memoir. It comes out Tuesday. I highly recommend it. #WhenTreesTestify
January 18, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Congratulations Dr. @berondam.bsky.social! I was so pleased to see the great review of your new book in Science this week and really look forward to reading it.
Reposted by Brian DeLay
In February 1775, 240 Redcoats came to Salem MA to confiscate artillery secreted just over the North River. Locals raised the drawbridge just before they arrived. It was freezing. Swearing & furious, the British commander threatened to open fire if they didn't lower the bridge. 1/4
🚨"Coward chickensh*t f*ck!" -ICE protester screams at Trump's Border Chief Greg Bovino as he leads a SWARM of ICE/DHS agents rushing at unarmed Minneapolis protesters as snow falls (for no apparent reason). FULL VIDEO ⬇️
January 18, 2026 at 2:54 AM
In February 1775, 240 Redcoats came to Salem MA to confiscate artillery secreted just over the North River. Locals raised the drawbridge just before they arrived. It was freezing. Swearing & furious, the British commander threatened to open fire if they didn't lower the bridge. 1/4
In February 1775, 240 Redcoats came to Salem MA to confiscate artillery secreted just over the North River. Locals raised the drawbridge just before they arrived. It was freezing. Swearing & furious, the British commander threatened to open fire if they didn't lower the bridge. 1/4
🚨"Coward chickensh*t f*ck!" -ICE protester screams at Trump's Border Chief Greg Bovino as he leads a SWARM of ICE/DHS agents rushing at unarmed Minneapolis protesters as snow falls (for no apparent reason). FULL VIDEO ⬇️
January 18, 2026 at 2:54 AM
In February 1775, 240 Redcoats came to Salem MA to confiscate artillery secreted just over the North River. Locals raised the drawbridge just before they arrived. It was freezing. Swearing & furious, the British commander threatened to open fire if they didn't lower the bridge. 1/4
Please read & share this important thread from @bdproctor.bsky.social
I've seen some folks giving into doomerism by citing the US's history of paramilitary violence shutting down fair elections in the South, and I want to add some historical context to support Jamelle here (as an historian of Reconstruction paramilitary violence)
the question to ask about this is, okay, he wants to cancel the midterms. how does he get the VA state board of elections to cancel the midterms? how does he get the georgia board of elections to do it? how does he convince republican house members to quit their jobs and give up their paychecks?
January 16, 2026 at 10:51 PM
Please read & share this important thread from @bdproctor.bsky.social
Reposted by Brian DeLay
A great illustration of how even in the Trump era of personalist rule, the federal contracting supply chain remains a critical method for cultivating a broad base of political support and maintaining patronage networks. (Note how many of these businesses have the word “veteran” in their name, too.)
New: We built an interactive map of every ICE contractor working with the Trump administration.
readsludge.com/2026/01/16/t...
readsludge.com/2026/01/16/t...
The Companies Behind ICE
Sludge built an interactive map of every ICE contractor working with the Trump administration.
readsludge.com
January 16, 2026 at 10:45 PM
A great illustration of how even in the Trump era of personalist rule, the federal contracting supply chain remains a critical method for cultivating a broad base of political support and maintaining patronage networks. (Note how many of these businesses have the word “veteran” in their name, too.)
Reposted by Brian DeLay
Thanks to @talkingpointsmemo.com for the terrific suite of articles on what Jan. 6 really was. Here's the report Greg Downs and I wrote for the J6 committee, in which we cast that day's events -- and the response to them -- as part of a very long struggle over democracy in the United States
This statement by two experts on Civil War- and Reconstruction-era America was drafted for the Jan. 6 Committee but not included in its public report. A powerful read, it connects the political violence of the 19th century to today.
talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/jan-6-a...
talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/jan-6-a...
Jan. 6 and the Long Shadow of Civil War and Reconstruction Era Political Violence
Two days after the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, we...
talkingpointsmemo.com
January 6, 2026 at 11:32 PM
Thanks to @talkingpointsmemo.com for the terrific suite of articles on what Jan. 6 really was. Here's the report Greg Downs and I wrote for the J6 committee, in which we cast that day's events -- and the response to them -- as part of a very long struggle over democracy in the United States
Very interesting thread on how quickly AI transcription tools are improving
Thinking a lot about how the traditional publishing timeline makes it incredibly hard for the humanities to grapple with what Gen AI means for their discipline. I was just reading Julie Mujic's "Generative AI and Civil War Primary Sources" from most recent issue of Civil War History. +
January 13, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Very interesting thread on how quickly AI transcription tools are improving
Reposted by Brian DeLay
Academic and Native friends, please share this CFP and/or consider submitting a proposal! The organizers would love perspectives from outside the academy as well.
www.historic-deerfield.org/call-for-pro...
www.historic-deerfield.org/call-for-pro...
Call for Proposals — 350th Anniversary of King Philip's War/Metacom's Rebellion - Historic Deerfield
Historic Deerfield is hosting a one-day conference next year to commemorate the 350th anniversary of King Philip’s War/Metacom’s Rebellion, with the goals of helping a broad audience learn more about ...
www.historic-deerfield.org
January 12, 2026 at 6:11 PM
Academic and Native friends, please share this CFP and/or consider submitting a proposal! The organizers would love perspectives from outside the academy as well.
www.historic-deerfield.org/call-for-pro...
www.historic-deerfield.org/call-for-pro...
CFP: "AMERICAN REVOLUTION INTERNATIONAL" - Huntington Library, Nov. 6-7, 2026. With support from the Early Modern Studies Institute at USC, my co-conspirators & I look forward to two days of generative conversation. Travel & lodging included! Proposals now due 1/24. Please help spread the word! 🙏
January 12, 2026 at 2:55 PM
CFP: "AMERICAN REVOLUTION INTERNATIONAL" - Huntington Library, Nov. 6-7, 2026. With support from the Early Modern Studies Institute at USC, my co-conspirators & I look forward to two days of generative conversation. Travel & lodging included! Proposals now due 1/24. Please help spread the word! 🙏
Reposted by Brian DeLay
When democracies replace authoritarian regimes, they typically disband the secret police.
Portugal (1974): PIDE disbanded within days.
Greece (1974): ESA disbanded. Leaders imprisoned.
East Germany (1990): Stasi dissolved.
Chile (1990): CNI dissolved.
Brazil (1990): SNI dissolved.
Portugal (1974): PIDE disbanded within days.
Greece (1974): ESA disbanded. Leaders imprisoned.
East Germany (1990): Stasi dissolved.
Chile (1990): CNI dissolved.
Brazil (1990): SNI dissolved.
January 9, 2026 at 2:24 AM
When democracies replace authoritarian regimes, they typically disband the secret police.
Portugal (1974): PIDE disbanded within days.
Greece (1974): ESA disbanded. Leaders imprisoned.
East Germany (1990): Stasi dissolved.
Chile (1990): CNI dissolved.
Brazil (1990): SNI dissolved.
Portugal (1974): PIDE disbanded within days.
Greece (1974): ESA disbanded. Leaders imprisoned.
East Germany (1990): Stasi dissolved.
Chile (1990): CNI dissolved.
Brazil (1990): SNI dissolved.
Reposted by Brian DeLay
Excellent, clarifying piece on the (real) legal pathway that Minnesota has to prosecute the ICE agent who shot and killed a woman today.
No, federal agents do not have absolute immunity from start charges, no matter what the Trump administration claims.
No, federal agents do not have absolute immunity from start charges, no matter what the Trump administration claims.
Wrote a piece for @slate.com explaining that states have a long history of prosecuting federal officers when they allegedly use excessive force. Federal officers are only immune from such prosecutions when they act reasonably in carrying out lawful duties.
Minnesota Could Prosecute the ICE Shooter. Trump Can’t Pardon Him.
Shortly after an ICE officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis, city leaders began looking into whether the officer had violated state criminal law.
slate.com
January 8, 2026 at 12:25 AM
Excellent, clarifying piece on the (real) legal pathway that Minnesota has to prosecute the ICE agent who shot and killed a woman today.
No, federal agents do not have absolute immunity from start charges, no matter what the Trump administration claims.
No, federal agents do not have absolute immunity from start charges, no matter what the Trump administration claims.