U.S. Constitution News
The Daily Signal provides reporting and analysis on the U.S. Constitution, including court rulings, separation of powers, and the defense of individual rights.
-
- Opinion
Hero at Las Vegas Shooting on Mission to Protect Second Amendment
On Oct. 1, 2017, a gunman opened fire from high above the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas, ultimately killing 60 and wounding more than 400. The crime, in which another 456 persons were injured, remains the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. But out of this tragedy comes a story of true…Douglas Blair -
- Opinion
11 Examples of Why Government Shouldn’t Go After Lawful Gun Industry
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently issued a “first in the nation” executive order on gun violence, declaring it a “disaster emergency” in his state and vesting himself with the authority to treat it as a “public health crisis” just like the COVID-19 pandemic. Cuomo, a Democrat, also signed into law a bill to hold…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
Want Less Violence? Promote Gun Ownership
Would carrying a gun make you feel safer? Robert Nash and Brandon Koch thought so. But the state of New York denied them gun permits, saying they hadn’t demonstrated a “special need.” Why did they have to prove such a “need”? The Supreme Court ruled more than 10 years ago that all Americans have a…John Stossel -
- News
Biden Backs Gun Control, Not Defunding Police, in New Executive Actions
President Joe Biden announced a host of executive actions Wednesday, many of them backing up his long-standing support for gun control and others distancing himself from some fellow Democrats who want to defund the police. “The Second Amendment from the day it was passed limited the type of people who could own a gun, and…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Supreme Court Protects Property Rights Against Union Trespass
The Supreme Court on Wednesday held that a state law permitting labor union organizers to enter farmland without permission to try to organize workers was unconstitutional under the Fifth and 14th Amendments to the Constitution. The ruling was 6 to 3. In Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid, the court considered a California regulation that allowed…GianCarlo Canaparo -
- Opinion
Supreme Court Issues Victory for Free Speech, but Questions Remain
The Supreme Court issued a win Wednesday for Brandi Levy, a former Mahanoy Area School District student known to court watchers as the “cussing cheerleader.” But the court’s decision made it unclear what other types of student speech a public school can censor. After failing to make her school’s varsity cheerleading squad, Levy posted two…Sarah Parshall Perry -
- Opinion
13 Examples of How Miami’s Police Chief Is Wrong on Defensive Gun Use
Whenever criminals harm someone with firearms, many gun control advocates use the violence as an argument to disarm ordinary, peaceable Americans. Indeed, this is precisely what happened May 23 after two groups opened fire on each other outside a crowded strip club in Austin, Texas, fatally wounding one bystander and injuring 13 others, most of…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
Biden’s ATF Nominee Amplifies Concerns About Stance on Second Amendment
When President Joe Biden released his plan in February to tackle gun violence, he also announced the nomination of David Chipman to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or ATF. Chipman’s nomination as ATF director raised immediate concerns from Second Amendment advocates, many of whom see it as a slap in the…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
Defend Free Speech, Urges Author Who Faced Repercussions for Teaching College Students About Pronouns
Canadian author and columnist Lindsay Shepherd’s message to Americans is simple: Defend free speech or risk losing it. In 2017, Shepherd, then a teaching assistant at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada, played for her class a series of clips in which psychologist and author Jordan Peterson talked about personal pronouns and transgenderism. Afterward, Shepherd was called into a meeting with…Douglas Blair -
- Opinion
Cruz: Liberals’ Endgame on ‘Ghost Guns’ Is to Get National Gun Registry
Editor’s note: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, made the following remarks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday. Read the lightly edited transcript, below, or watch the video above. Sen. Ted Cruz: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, thank you to the witnesses who are here today. Last Friday, the Biden administration published proposed regulations to significantly expand…Daily Signal Staff -
- Opinion
In These 11 Cases, a Firearm Saved the Owner or Others
Late last month, President Joe Biden used his first address to a joint session of Congress to push for major gun control initiatives, often using blatant lies and mischaracterizations in the process. One of Biden’s more egregious mischaracterizations was the common trope that the nation is experiencing a “gun violence epidemic.” The plain data simply…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
3 Things to Know About Second Amendment’s Return to Supreme Court
It’s been well over a decade since the Supreme Court last decided a meaningful Second Amendment case. That wait is about to end. Although District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010) answered some foundational questions about the right to keep and bear arms, the Supreme Court’s decade of silence…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
These 11 Incidents Underscore Outrage of Biden’s Slap in Face to Gun Owners
Just a little over halfway through its first 100 days, the Biden administration has made it very clear where it stands on the Second Amendment, releasing a slew of executive orders that are likely to punish responsible gun owners without meaningfully affecting crime rates. Perhaps worse, President Joe Biden nominated gun control lobbyist David Chipman…Emma Nitzsche -
- Opinion
Justice Thomas’ Thought Experiment on Novel Issues With Social Media, Free Speech
On April 5, the Supreme Court declined to hear Biden v. Knight, a case involving the First Amendment and digital platforms. Justice Clarence Thomas agreed with the court’s decision, but wrote a concurring opinion to highlight what he considers to be the difficulties of “applying old doctrines to new digital platforms.” The case was originally…GianCarlo Canaparo -
- Opinion
It’s a Misperception That Firearms Aren’t Safe, Gun Shop Owner Says
Geneva Solomon is co-owner of Redstone Firearms in Burbank and Ontario, California, where she and her husband not only sell firearms but teach gun safety. Solomon joins the “Problematic Women” podcast to tell how she became passionate about gun ownership and safety. She also discusses her recent testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee and why…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
Yes, Leftists Want to Take Your Guns
If we lose the Second Amendment, then the rest will fall. During my recent—and very contentious—congressional campaign, my opponent argued that he didn’t need to take your guns because he had enough of his own. Voters in western North Carolina didn’t buy it. There was no need to remind them that leftists have a long…Rep. Madison Cawthorn -
- News
House Passes Gun Control Bill With Universal Background Checks
The House passed a gun control bill Thursday that requires a universal background check for every purchase of a firearm. HR 8, titled the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 and led by California Democratic Rep. Mike Thompson and Georgia Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath, passed 227 to 203 with eight Republicans voting in favor. If…Andrew Trunsky -
- Opinion
These 11 Examples of Defensive Gun Use Undermine Push for More Gun Control
March is Women’s History Month, yet Congress appears ready to celebrate in the worst way possible by creating more barriers for women who seek to exercise their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. While COVID-19-related bills have taken up much of the national spotlight, several gun control bills are primed for passage this…Emma Nitzsche -
- News
Supreme Court Sides With Christian Student in College Free Speech Case
The Supreme Court ruled in an 8-1 decision Monday that a Georgia college’s speech code policy violated the First Amendment and that a student who was harmed by the policy can seek damages. Justice Clarence Thomas issued the opinion of the high court, siding with Chike Uzuegbunam, a former student at Georgia Gwinnett College, and affirming his…Thomas Catenacci -
- Opinion
Blowing 4 Factual Holes in the Biden Gun Control Agenda
On the third anniversary of the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, President Joe Biden issued his administration’s first significant push for new gun control measures. Unfortunately, instead of seeking support for laws addressing the real underlying factors of gun violence, Biden is pushing politically divisive measures that would turn…Amy Swearer