Book Forum 

# *The Blue Tent Sky: How the Left’s War on Guns Cost Me My Son and My Freedom*

(Beard Face Books, 2014)

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Date and Time 

December 11, 2014 1 - 2:30 PM EST 

Location 

Policy Center with Foyer 

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##### Featuring 

Featuring the author **Brian D. Aitken**; with comments by **Walter Olson**, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute; moderated by **Tim Lynch**, Director, Project on Criminal Justice, Cato Institute. 

[[![Media Name: the-blue-tent-sky-cover.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/optimized/public/images/the-blue-tent-sky-cover.jpg?itok=G6qfponP)](/sites/cato.org/files/images/the-blue-tent-sky-cover.jpg)](http://www.amazon.com/The-Blue-Tent-Sky-Freedom-ebook/dp/B00N19KDM2/?tag=catoinstitute-20)

In 2009 Brian Aitken, a media consultant and web entrepreneur, ran afoul of New Jersey’s draconian gun laws when he was arrested while transporting two handguns unloaded and locked in the trunk of his car. Despite the fact that Aitken owned the guns legally and had called the New Jersey State Police for advice on how to legally transport his firearms, he found himself sentenced to seven years in prison.

In 2010 New Jersey governor Chris Christie commuted Aitken’s sentence. But Aitken’s experience, like that of other law-abiding gun owners who’ve faced long prison sentences for honest mistakes, raises troubling questions about gun-law overreach, prosecutorial discretion, and judicial abdication. Join us for what promises to be a lively discussion of these issues.

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