Why did we ban dueling?

Consider the consequences of someone insulting you with the allowance for you to later arrange to walk ten paces with your back to your disparager with a single shot pistol in your hand, after which you will turn and take aim and fire at the culprit just as he is taking aim at you.

Who would have the balls to insult someone knowing a disrespectful remark or action would put their lives at risk?

What would we lose from resurrecting the legal option to slap someone on the face with a handkerchief for an invitation to back up an insult with someone who isn’t going to take shit from you?

Would people be so apt to offend someone if dueling was legal?


The History of Dueling in America

The fatal duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr shocked the nation. But it was the identity of the man killed, not the fact of the duel itself, that produced such dismay. By 1804, dueling had become an American fixture. And for another thirty years or more, its popularity would continue to grow.  Read More >>>

The Code Duello

The Code Duello, covering the practice of dueling and points of honor, was drawn up and settled at Clonmel Summer Assizes, 1777, by gentlemen-delegates of Tipperary, Galway, Sligo, Mayo and Roscommon, and prescribed for general adoption throughout Ireland. The Code was generally also followed in England and on the Continent with some slight variations. In America, the principal rules were followed, although occasionally there were some glaring deviations. Read More >>>

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