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.
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opinion
Our Free Speech Crisis
The First Amendment to our Constitution was proposed by the 1788 Virginia Ratification Convention during its narrow 89-to-79 vote to ratify the Constitution. Virginia’s resolution held that the free exercise of religion, right to assembly, and free speech could not be canceled, abridged, or restrained. These Madisonian principles were eventually ratified by the states on… -
news
Virginia’s Gun Control Debate Begins Tuesday. Here’s What Northam Wants.
Virginia lawmakers will assemble Tuesday for the special session Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam called to debate a package of gun control measures. Northam called the special session in the wake of the Virginia Beach shooting May 31, which killed 12 people, according to The Associated Press. “Virginians deserve votes and laws, not thoughts and prayers. I urge the… -
news
‘Let Us Provide Our Own Security’: Virginia Beach Manager Petitions for Guns at Work
Vincent Smith wasn’t in the office when a fellow Virginia Beach city employee opened fire there, ultimately killing 12 and wounding five in the carnage five weeks ago. After getting notice of the shooting that afternoon in Building 2 of the Virginia Beach Municipal Center, Smith, 49, raced to the nearby emergency operations center, where… -
opinion
Free Speech on Campus Comes With Responsibility
In the face of adversity, the responsible use of freedom is a virtue—as well as a necessity. America is a nation born from the idea of freedom. To properly use this blessing and avoid abusing it, we need the clarity of moral insight. Civil rights require civic responsibility. But Americans’ fear of losing the freedom… -
news
Virginia Beach Employee Works to Abolish City’s Gun-Free Zone Policy
A Virginia Beach employee is circulating a petition to abolish the city’s policy barring employees from bringing guns into work if they are properly permitted. Vincent Smith, an engineer who worked in Building 2 where the recent shooting occurred, posted a petition on Change.org asking the city to amend its employee weapons ban so properly… -
opinion
Knitting Site Banning Pro-Trump Speech Just Latest Example of Left Squelching Speech
Fun fact: I’ve been crocheting since I was 10, when my Tita Lisa taught me the magic of granny squares. Fellow yarn nerds will understand the heavenly bliss of spending hours at Hobby Lobby or Walmart immersed in a sea of alpaca, mohair, angora, super bulky and super saver skeins for blankets, baby clothes, hats,… -
opinion
Gun Rights Made All the Difference for These Intended Victims
Contrary to the rhetoric of many gun control advocates, the Second Amendment’s protection of the individual right to keep and bear arms is not a malevolent, outdated barricade to peace that must be demolished or diminished in the name of public safety. Rather, the Second Amendment is a fundamental part of the nation’s scheme of… -
news
Anti-Israel BDS Movement Is Anti-Semitism Disguised as Free Speech, Rubio Says
Sen. Marco Rubio sharply criticized the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, saying that it falsely masquerades as a crusade for free speech. “Let’s pass the resolution condemning anti-Semitism, and then let’s put some muscle behind it, by passing a bill that actually gives states the ability to go after anti-Semitism disguised as economic policy… -
opinion
Alabama’s Stand for Free Speech Sets an Example for the Nation
State mottos should be built to last, and Alabama’s lawmakers just applied theirs—Audemus jura nostra defendere or “We dare defend our rights”—to one of the most contentious and visible issues of debate today: free speech on college campuses. Last week, Gov. Kay Ivey approved a proposal to protect the expressive rights of everyone who is… -
news
Democrats Move to Make Gun-Makers Liable for Gun Crimes
Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation Tuesday to hold gun manufacturers liable for crimes committed with their products. The measure, introduced in both the House and Senate, seeks to repeal legislation passed in 2005 that enacted litigation protections for the gun industry, National Public Radio reported. “Responsible actors in the gun industry don’t need this limitation on liability…. -
news
The Supreme Court Won’t Decide If the Second Amendment Covers Gun ‘Silencers’
The Supreme Court rejected two cases challenging federal regulation of gun suppressors Monday, just days after one such accessory was used in a massacre that left 12 dead in a Virginia Beach municipal building. Suppressors, which are commonly referred to as “silencers,” are tightly regulated under the 1937 National Firearms Act . Both cases arose from… -
opinion
Why Gun Control Is Wrong Response to Tragic Virginia Shooting
In the wake of the tragic shooting in Virginia Beach, Virginia, that claimed the lives of 12 people, Gov. Ralph Northam has called for a special legislative session to address gun-related violence. Using the shooting as a call to action, he then proposed a variety of restrictions on lawful gun owners—not one of which would… -
news
Obama Condemns US Gun Laws to Audience in Brazil
Former President Barack Obama told a crowd in Brazil Thursday that U.S. gun laws “don’t make sense” because people can buy “any weapon, any time.” Obama's remarks came during an interview at VTEX DAY, a conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil, after he was asked to describe his hardest day as president. “The most difficult day that I’ve had… -
news
How College Students Really Feel About Free Speech on Campus
A new survey finding that college students generally support free speech also shows what for some is a worrisome divide over what students value more: an “inclusive society” that “welcomes diverse groups” or protecting “the extremes of free speech.” The Knight Foundation’s “Free Expressions of College Campuses” report polled students over the course of three… -
opinion
The Second Amendment Saved These Gun Owners’ Lives in April
The right to keep and bear arms is based on the natural, immutable right to defend oneself and one’s liberties from crime and tyranny. Unfortunately, too many well-intentioned people today advocate severely restricting the ability of law-abiding Americans to defend themselves and others with the most effective firearms. Their desire for strict gun control laws… -
news
Trump Scraps Obama-Era UN Arms Treaty Opposed by Second Amendment Backers
President Donald Trump announced Friday the United States is pulling out of the international Arms Trade Treaty, a treaty signed by the Obama administration—but never ratified by the Senate—that concerned many Second Amendment advocates. Trump called it a “badly misguided” treaty when speaking Friday at the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting in Indianapolis. “We will… -
opinion
Arizona Case Shows the Difference Between Campus Free Speech and Harassment
Three Arizona students may soon learn a valuable lesson: There’s a difference between exercising your free speech on campus and blocking someone else’s attempt to do the same. In March, three University of Arizona students shouted down a group of U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, and then chased them to their cars, hurling insults… -
opinion
Tackling Questions About Colorado’s Red Flag Law and the Second Amendment
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, this month signed into law a bill allowing a person to be temporarily disarmed if a court finds that he or she poses a significant risk of harm to self or others. This makes Colorado the 15th state to enact such a law, known in Colorado as an extreme… -
opinion
The Pivotal Gun Case Likely Going to the Supreme Court, Explained
Could the manufacturer of the gun used in the tragic Sandy Hook shooting be sued? That’s what’s at stake in a new case that the Supreme Court has been asked to hear. Heritage Foundation legal expert Amy Swearer breaks down this case, plus what needs to be done to make our schools safe. Read the… -
news
Gun-Maker Will Appeal to the Supreme Court in Sandy Hook Victims’ Lawsuit
Gun manufacturer Bushmaster Firearms will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court after a panel of Connecticut judges said nine victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre can sue the company despite a federal law shielding gun-makers from most lawsuits. Bushmaster produced the XM15 rifle shooter Adam Lanza used to kill 26 people at…