A death in the family

[ELB]

Clayton Cramer's brother Ron died a few days ago.

You may not know Clayton Cramer's name right off the top of your head, but he has affected the life and rights of everyone in the country. He is a bright guy, an excellent amateur historian, in the best sense of the word. Although he is paid to teach history at a local college, he pays the bills as a software engineer, and studies and teaches history as a passion.

One area he specializes in is the history of gun rights and the Second Amendment. He was really one of the first, if not the first, to call into doubt and then thoroughly debunk Professor Bellesiles's "history" that purported to show that gun ownership was rare in colonial America (and by extension the 2A was only about militias). He contributed to the amicus briefs in Heller and McDonald, and his work was cited by the majority opinions in both cases (and a third, I think, but escapes me at the moment). He has written numerous books, articles, and columns published in various publications over the years.

He had an older brother named Ron who was also very intelligent, but fell prey to serious mental illness early in life, bringing some danger to the family at times. The difficulties in getting Ron treated led Clayton to apply the same meticulous research skills he used on Second Amendment history to the history of mental health treatment in America, and how the system got to be what it is today, using his brother's trials as a focal point. It is well worth your time to read it: My Brother Ron: A Personal and Social History of the Deinstitutionalization of the Mentally Ill.

You might spare a moment to think of a good friend to the human right of self-defense.

From his blog at http://claytonecramer.blogspot.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;:

I try to remember the brother who taught me to read, took me on my first airplane flight, and worked with me on making guncotton and distilling alcohol over a kitchen stove using beakers and condensers. That brother died long, long ago, replaced by one who was tormented by mental illness. He is doubtless at peace now.

[carlson1]

We will be praying for the family.