Michael Bellesiles

The book, published in 2000, purported to prove that firearms were a rarity in early America. Such a finding would have had important implications for modern interpretation of the Second Amendment, and was immediately challenged by advocates of gun rights.

Arming America was immediately successful in American liberal circles. It was awarded the prestigious Bancroft Prize[?], was praised as "groundbreaking work" by the Atlantic Monthly, and was awarded "Notable Book" status by the New York Times.

Within months of the book's publication, Mr. Bellesiles's methodology and conclusions had been strongly criticized not only by traditional supporters of gun rights, but also by academic peers of the author. The author was accused of both outright fraud regarding the data sources he claimed to have examined, as well as selectively choosing data from sources he did examine.

In February 2002, due to the controversy surrounding the book, Emory University initiated the formal process of investigating Mr. Bellesiles for academic misconduct. This process led to the creation of an independent committee charged with determining whether Mr. Bellesiles had committed fraud by falsifying his research data. The committee was made up of three professors representing Princeton University, Harvard University, and the University of Chicago.

In October 2002 Mr. Bellesiles announced his resignation from Emory University (effective December 31, 2002). Simultaneous with this announcement, the University released the final report of the investigative committee. With regards to Mr. Bellesiles research, the committee found that "the best that can be said of his work with the probate and militia records is that he is guilty of unprofessional and misleading work. Every aspect of his work in the probate records is deeply flawed." The committee stopped short of finding Mr. Bellesiles guilty of intentional fabrication or falsification of his data.

On December 7, 2002, Columbia University's Trustees voted to rescind the Bancroft Prize awarded to Michael Bellesiles. The Trustees made the decision based on a review of Emory University's investigation and other assessments by professional historians. They concluded that he had violated basic norms of scholarship and the high standards expected of Bancroft Prize winners.

External Links

• ISBN 0375701982
• The Final Report of the Investigating Committee (http://www.emory.edu/central/NEWS/Releases/Final_Report.pdf)
• 'Professor quits in probe of gun book' (http://www.washtimes.com/national/20021028-78905499.htm) -- The Washington Times, October 28, 2002
• [1] (http://hnn.us/articles/1157) Official announcement released December 13, 2002, by the Columbia University Board of Trustees.