"David L. Nelson was raised in Michigan's Upper Peninsula where hunting and target shooting are a way of life. He learned to shoot at an early age and listened to claims that the Second Amendment protected an individual's right to bear arms even before the Supreme Court declared that was the law. After graduating from Northern Michigan University, he earned a juris doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1957. He is a member of the Michigan Bar Association and was accepted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court in 1973. He practiced law for more than forty years, specializing in commercial litigation before retiring in 2001. He is the author of two books: ""Tool Marks Don't Lie"" and ""River of Iron."""