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
We Hear You: Conservatives and Liberals, Thoughts and Prayers, God and Guns
Editor's note: Florida resident Andrea Falce's email about the apparent prayer divide between conservatives and liberals stood out among recent missives. It leads this week's selection from the mailbag. Be sure to write us at [email protected] and include your name, town, and state.—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: Prayer is officially passe. Liberal media voices, comedians,…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
Podcast: ‘Problematic Women’ on the Women’s March Debacle
Following an explosive report alleging anti-Semitism and curious financial decisions from the Women’s March leadership, we break down what this means. Plus: Ginny Montalbano sits down with a female small business owner whose family lived under socialism in Cuba. We also cover these stories: President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen is headed to prison, and…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
Broad Gun Control Restrictions Are Not the Answer. Just Look at These Facts.
We all know the script by now: A mass public shooting occurs. Grief and anger ensue. Calls for stricter gun laws soon follow. Given how incredibly upsetting these crimes are, and how deeply they shake their communities—and the nation itself—such calls are perfectly understandable. If we’re truly serious, however, about reducing gun violence rates and…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
How Unnecessary Laws Pit Falconry Against Free Speech
When flocks of birds fly too close to airports, hotels, or landfills, property managers call someone like professional falconer Scott Timmons. Timmons launches one of his falcons to patrol the property, where the majestic creature swoops and dives, scaring away seagulls, pigeons, and the like. His bird gets to fly free while he enjoys a…Jim Manley -
- Opinion
Professor Thinks Banning These Words Would Fix Free Speech on College Campuses
University of Pennsylvania law professor Amy Wax is accustomed to political wrongthink. Wax has a bachelor’s degree from Yale College, a medical degree from Harvard, and a law degree from Columbia. But none of those was enough to exempt her from being on the receiving end of a full-fledged campaign to get her fired. Nor…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
Washington Voters OK Sweeping Gun Control Measure Raising Age for Some Purchases
Washington voters approved a ballot initiative on Tuesday that will raise the age to purchase semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21 and impose a 10-day waiting period to purchase the firearms. According to the Seattle Times, Ballot Initiative 1639, or I-1639, passed with just over 60 percent of the vote at the time of reporting. The…Chuck Ross -
- Opinion
How the Gun Made America Great
Author and columnist David Harsayni joined the Oct. 15 Daily Signal podcast to discuss his new book “First Freedom: A Ride Through America’s Enduring History with the Gun.” This is a lightly edited transcript of that interview. Rob Bluey: We’re here to talk about your book and America’s history with guns. What inspired you to write…Rob Bluey -
- Opinion
Podcast: David Harsanyi on America’s Enduring History With the Gun
On today’s show we feature an interview with David Harsanyi, author of the new book “First Freedom: A Ride Through America’s Enduring History with the Gun.” Harsanyi is a senior editor at The Federalist and is a nationally syndicated columnist whose column appears weekly on The Daily Signal. Also on today’s show: Ken Starr, who served as…Rob Bluey -
- Opinion
Property Rights Protections for South Africans Are Moving in the Wrong Direction
Ever since the end of apartheid in the mid-1990s, people have hailed South Africa as a champion in the fight for justice and equality. In The Heritage Foundation’s 2018 Index of Economic Freedom, South Africa received the designation of “moderately free,” with its freedom score rising 0.7 points, due to significant improvements in investment freedom…Patrick Farrell -
- News
UC Berkeley Limits Free Speech … Again
The University of California at Berkeley, regarded as the birthplace of the free speech movement, has done away with one of its historic “free speech zones.” Carol Christ, chancellor of UC Berkeley, last month emailed a statement to students, faculty, and staff detailing changes to the university’s policy regarding free speech events on campus. Among…Troy Worden -
- Opinion
The Daily Signal Podcast: In Britain, Free Speech at Risk
Great Britain has historically been one of the most free countries in the world. But in this hypersensitive age, free speech is coming under genuine threat—not just on college campuses, but across British society. Anglican Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali joins us to discuss. Plus: The media gets worked up over an apparent ice-throwing incident in Brett…Katrina Trinko -
- News
Judge Shoots Down California Ban on Handgun Ads in Gun Shops as ‘Paternalistic’
A federal judge has struck down a law banning handgun ads at gun shops as “unconstitutional on its face” and “highly paternalistic.” California officials had argued that they intended the ban to prevent advertisements from prompting state residents with “impulsive personality traits” to buy more guns, and thereby reduce the risk of “handgun suicide and…Troy Worden -
- Opinion
The Dallas Cop Shooting Was Horrific. It Also Has Nothing to Do With the Second Amendment.
Last week, an off-duty Dallas police officer fatally shot 26-year-old Botham Jean inside his own apartment. The officer—since identified as Amber Guyger, a four-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department—was also a resident in the same apartment complex, and claims she shot Jean after walking into the wrong apartment and mistaking him for a home…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
J.D. Martinez’s Second Amendment Stance Isn’t Controversial. It’s Patriotic.
Someone recently dug up an old pro-Second Amendment Instagram post by Boston Red Sox star J.D. Martinez, in which the potential Triple Crown winner posted a picture of Adolf Hitler featuring the quote, “To conquer a nation, First disarm it’s (sic) citizens.” Martinez captioned the post, “This is why I will always stay strapped! #thetruth.”…David Harsanyi -
- Opinion
How Louisiana Stood Up to the Anti-Gun Corporate Elite
The state of Louisiana recently held some members of the corporate social police accountable for discriminating against law-abiding Americans. By a vote of 7-6, the State Bond Commission excluded Citigroup and Bank of America from the running for a lucrative state contract. Our reason for doing so: these corporations had introduced bank policies that restrict…Jeff Landry -
- Opinion
Why I Objected to a Bill That Would Ban 3D Gun Designs
Last Tuesday, President Donald Trump tweeted, “I am looking into 3-D Plastic Guns being sold to the public. Already spoke to NRA, doesn’t seem to make much sense!” The White House has not offered any clarification on what exactly Trump’s tweet meant, but if he is worried about plastic guns being sold to the public,…Sen. Mike Lee -
- Opinion
The Scaremongering Over 3D Guns Has Little to Do With Reality
The newest bugaboo of the gun control crowd is the bloodcurdling “3D printer gun”—or, as anti-gun activist Alyssa Milano called it, “downloadable death.” Reporters at CNN now ask, “3D guns: Untraceable, undetectable and unstoppable?” Even President Donald Trump tweeted that he’s “looking into 3-D Plastic Guns being sold to the public. Already spoke to NRA,…David Harsanyi -
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- News
News Media Distort Statistics on US Firearms Ownership and Mass Shootings, Gun Expert Lott Says
In a discussion that gun rights activist John Lott Jr. had with an ABC News producer for a 2014 documentary special about the risks of having firearms in the home, the producer cited a gun ownership statistic that Lott knew to be wrong. The producer told him that gun ownership had been falling in the…Katherine Rohloff -
- Opinion
Stricter Gun Laws Didn’t Stop This Mass Shooting in Canada
On Monday night, a 29-year-old man opened fired with a handgun on bystanders at a busy intersection in Toronto, Canada, killing two and wounding 13 before being shot to death by law enforcement officers. Although the man’s motives remain unclear, reports have circulated that he frequented Islamic State-inspired websites and may have lived for a…Amy Swearer