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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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 -
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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 -
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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 -
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Lawsuit Challenges Obama’s Executive Actions to Restrict Gun Sales
A conservative lawyer and activist has filed the first federal court challenge to President Barack Obama’s executive actions to restrict firearm ownership, arguing that the president’s moves violate the Constitution. Larry Klayman, a former U.S. Justice Department lawyer who heads the conservative advocacy group Freedom Watch, filed the lawsuit Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern…Natalie Johnson -
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NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre Challenges Obama to One-on-One Debate About Guns
The head of the National Rifle Association wants to debate President Barack Obama one on one about guns. “I’ll meet you for a one-on-one, one-hour debate—with a mutually agreed upon moderator—on any network that will take it,” NRA Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Wayne LaPierre challenged Obama in a video released online Wednesday….Leah Jessen -
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The Christian Educator Behind Teachers’ Fight for Free Speech at the Supreme Court
An “adversarial attitude” toward people of faith permeates the public education system and should be confronted by teachers and parents who disagree, the head of an organization for Christian educators said in an interview with The Daily Signal. Finn Laursen, executive director of the Christian Educators Association International, said that attitude toward religion first took…Kevin Mooney -
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What Obama Got Wrong on Guns
President Barack Obama made some interesting claims over the past week about why America needs more gun control. We take a look at some of his statements to see how they stand up to the facts. >>> 10 Myths About GunsGenevieve Wood -
- Opinion
Bipartisan Support Grows for Reform of Rules on Gun Exports
While President Barack Obama tries to limit gun sales in the United States, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging his administration to make it easier for U.S. firearms manufacturers to export. When it comes to guns, the administration has tried to have it both ways. At home, it promotes gun control and abroad, it…Ted Bromund -
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Meet 2 Women Who Challenged Obama on Gun Control
Two women who own guns almost stole the show by challenging President Barack Obama’s views and actions when he took his gun control pitch to a live audience on national TV. Gun owners Taya Kyle, widow of “American Sniper” Chris Kyle, and Kimberly Corban, a Colorado rape victim, took on Obama’s push for stricter gun laws during CNN’s…Natalie Johnson -
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Gov. Scott Walker Threatens Lawsuit Over Obama’s Gun Control Orders
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is preparing to go to court to challenge President Barack Obama’s “illegal” executive actions to restrict gun ownership. “President Obama is again disregarding the constitutional principles of separation of powers and exceeding his authority as chief executive,” Walker, a Republican, said Wednesday in a prepared statement: The Obama administration issued guidance…Leah Jessen -
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Obama Mocks ‘Conspiracy’ That He Wants to Take Away Your Guns
Stiff-armed by a Republican-led Congress, President Barack Obama took to national television Thursday night in an effort to sell stricter gun control laws to the American public. During a town hall event televised live by CNN, the president dismissed the suggestion that he wants to take guns away in a “conspiracy.” He said his efforts are…Natalie Johnson -
- Opinion
10 Myths About Guns
This week, President Barack Obama announced executive actions related to guns. Here are 10 common myths about firearms. Myth No. 1: Firearm purchases at gun shows do not require a background check due to the “gun show loophole.” Facts: When the president and others refer to the “gun show loophole,” they imply that there are…Sen. Chuck Grassley -
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Fatal Shooting of Congressman’s Grandfather Prompts Him to Urge Mental Health Reform, Not Gun Control
An Alabama congressman says his grandfather’s death at the hands of a mentally ill gunman shaped his views on the futility of stricter gun controls. “I take every incident of gun violence seriously,” Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Ala., said Wednesday on C-SPAN. “What the president proposed yesterday will not affect this problem at all.” On Tuesday, President Barack Obama announced executive…Leah Jessen -
- Opinion
The President’s Gun Plan Puts Radical Ideology Over National Security
The administration of President Barack Obama may well go down in history as one of the greatest failures of anyone who ever occupied the Oval Office. However, history will not claim him as a political novice. In a statement on the official White House website, the president acknowledged that he will do whatever it takes to advance…Rep. Barry Loudermilk -
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Background Checks for Guns ‘Don’t Solve the Problem,’ This House Republican Says
Fresh off recess, House Republicans spent little time back in Washington before denouncing President Obama’s latest executive actions to restrict gun ownership. “Anyone who watched the president yesterday had to be struck by the unbelievably partisan nature of his remarks,” Rep. Andy Harris said Wednesday. “It’s not like he wanted us to solve this problem as…Natalie Johnson -
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The Facts Behind 4 of Obama’s Claims About Guns
Flanked by families who lost loved ones to mass shootings, President Barack Obama fought back tears as he announced a unilateral push to curb crimes committed with guns and called for a renewed national “sense of urgency” on the issue. At his press conference Tuesday, Obama outlined immediate executive actions to expand existing background checks,…Philip Wegmann -
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This GOP Congressman Is Working to Defund Obama’s Executive Gun Control Measures
President Barack Obama detailed his plan to work around lawmakers to implement tougher gun control measures, but the Republican-held Congress holds the keys for funding the administration’s changes. Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, chairman of the appropriations subcommittee in charge of financing the Justice Department, threatened to defund the agency should the White House move forward with…Natalie Johnson