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
Guy Benson: The Assault on Free Speech Marches On
The political season has brought a fresh wave of free speech debates on America’s college campuses. Some students claim they need to be “protected” from even seeing the names of presidential candidates they don’t like. Fox News commentator Guy Benson, also the co-author of “End of Discussion,” sat down with The Daily Signal to discuss…Genevieve Wood -
- Opinion
Judge Ignores Federal Law and Allows Sandy Hook Gun Case to Proceed
There is no doubt that what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 12, 2012, was a horrible event and a terrible tragedy for the parents of the children murdered by Adam Lanza, a mentally disturbed young man. But the decision on April 14 by Connecticut Superior Court Judge Barbara N. Bellis refusing to…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
More Guns Does Not Mean More Murders
According to proponents of gun control, more guns in America equals more murders and a more lawless society. Every time there is a mass killing involving guns, liberal politicians rush to call for more restrictions on guns. Those in favor of disarming the citizenry claim that fewer guns will mean less gun crime. This assertion…Patrick Tyrrell -
- News
In Voicemail, Bank Says It No Longer Lends to Firearms Dealers
The stories of two businessmen who recently were denied banking services because they sell firearms suggest a secretive government program called Operation Choke Point still affects industries across the nation that the Obama administration considered undesirable. In one case, a large bank in New England denied a line of credit to a former police officer…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
4 Pro-Gun Democrats Call for Hearing on Supreme Court Nominee
Criticism of Merrick Garland’s record on the Second Amendment hasn’t stopped four pro-gun Senate Democrats from calling on Republicans to begin the confirmation process for the Supreme Court nominee. If he is confirmed, conservatives fear that Garland could shift the court to the left for decades and potentially provide the deciding vote to overturn landmark gun…Philip Wegmann -
- News
Why This Sexual Assault Survivor Is an Advocate for the Second Amendment
When Kimberly Corban was a 20-year-old student at the University of Northern Colorado, a man broke into her Greeley, Colo., apartment and sexually assaulted her for nearly two hours. Now, nearly 10 years later, Corban not only works with other sexual assault survivors, but also has become an advocate for the Second Amendment. In an…Melissa Quinn -
- News
Obama Supreme Court Nominee Has History of Advocating Gun Control
President Barack Obama’s nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court has some conservatives up in arms over his past opposition to the Second Amendment. If confirmed by the Senate, Garland would fill the seat of the late Justice Antonin Scalia. And if his past record is any indication, the jurist could tip the…Philip Wegmann -
- News
NRA Head Wayne LaPierre Says Obama’s Knowledge on Guns ‘Wouldn’t Fill a Thimble’
Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president and CEO of the National Rifle Association, called out President Barack Obama for dodging his invitation to debate gun rights, saying what the president knows about guns “wouldn’t fill a thimble.” “We know a liar when we see one. We also know a political coward when we see one,” LaPierre…Natalie Johnson -
- News
Teddy Roosevelt Still Hurts Farmers Today, Property Rights Advocate Says
American farmers haven’t had the benefit of operating under a free market system since the early 20th century, property rights advocate Joel Salatin says. A critical turning point came when President Teddy Roosevelt established the Food Safety and Inspection Service, he says. The agency, now a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, draws its authority…Kevin Mooney -
- Opinion
How the New Left on College Campuses Is Killing Free Speech
The role of colleges and universities in America used to be to encourage intellectual thought and discussion. But Charles Kesler, one of America’s most prominent conservative professors and a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute, says free speech and thought are under assault on campuses around the country. Today’s liberal campus protesters, Kesler says in…Genevieve Wood -
- News
Colleges Use Tax-Exempt Status to Excuse Restricting Free Speech
Universities point to the tax code as an excuse to suppress free speech on campuses across the United States, an education rights group told a House panel. Students, professors, and others, testifying Wednesday before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight, said college officials often are reluctant to eliminate “microaggression” policies and allow free speech for fear they…Natalie Johnson -
- Opinion
Why Gun Manufacturers Shouldn’t Be Held Liable for Sandy Hook Tragedy
Could you imagine being a business owner; selling a legal, functional product; and being sued every time an individual who buys your product uses it to commit a crime? Should a rope manufacturer be liable when someone is hanged by that rope? Should a knife manufacturer be liable when someone is stabbed? Should a rope…Andrew Kloster -
- News
He Survived Columbine. Now He’s Pushing a Bill That Would Let Teachers Carry Guns at Schools.
A Colorado lawmaker who survived the 1999 mass murder at Columbine High School is sponsoring state legislation that would allow teachers to carry firearms on school grounds. State Rep. Patrick Neville, R-Castle Rock, said his bill would serve as a warning to armed assailants looking to take advantage of gun-free zones. “People are not deterred by some…Natalie Johnson -
- News
Ohio Gun Seller Alleges ‘Widespread’ Government Discrimination
An Ohio firearms retailer who was recently denied access to banking services says the federal government is continuing to “discriminate against” his industry. “I definitely think the government is discriminating against our industry,” William Evans, president and CEO of American Tactical Concepts in Wadsworth, Ohio, told The Daily Signal. “It’s a little too widespread.” Evans, who…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
4 Pro-Gun Senate Democrats Silent on Voting for Obama’s Supreme Court Nominee
A Supreme Court justice nominee appointed by President Barack Obama could do much to shift the ideological weight of a bench split now evenly among justices nominated by Republican and Democrat presidents. In particular, the new justice could provide the deciding vote to overturn the District of Columbia v. Heller decision. In that landmark case,…Philip Wegmann -
- Opinion
Obama Administration Commits to Initial Reform of Rules on Gun Exports in 2016
Last month, I reported that the Obama administration was resisting a bipartisan push to make it easier for U.S. firearms manufacturers to export. But now, that pressure has produced results. First, a bit of background. The administration is reforming the U.S. Munitions List (USML), which sets out what defense items are subject to the stringent…Ted Bromund -
- Opinion
Mass Shooters Prefer Gun-Free Zones
An analysis of mass shootings in the United States since the year 2002 shows that gun-wielding mass killers are more likely to strike where the Second Amendment right to bear arms has been supplanted by “gun-free zone” ordinances, be they federal, local, or specified by the owner of the property. The Stanford University Libraries’ dataset of…Patrick Tyrrell -
- Opinion
A Legal Victory for Gun Rights
On Thursday, a three-judge panel vacated a ruling by a Maryland district court that had upheld the state’s ban on so-called “assault weapons” and large-capacity magazines (holding more than 10 rounds). In Kolbe v. Hogan, the panel (in a 2-1 decision) sent the case back to the district court, holding that the district court judge…Hans von Spakovsky -
- News
Why a ‘Smart Growth’ Agenda in This State Arouses Tea Party, Property Rights Activists
One of the biggest sources of grants in the nation’s smallest state rakes in taxpayer dollars while advancing centralized planning of environmental controls that burden entrepreneurs and taxpayers alike, its critics charge. The Rhode Island Foundation received hundreds of thousands of dollars from taxpayers over the past few years even as it awarded money to promote…Kevin Mooney -
- News
Senate Democrats Seek to Lift Ban on Taxpayer-Funded Gun Research
Senate Democrats are reviving efforts to lift a 20-year-old ban on using taxpayer dollars to research gun-related crime and violence in the United States. In a press conference last week, Democrats announced a new bid to give money to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention specifically to pay for such research. “For gun violence, which…Natalie Johnson