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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What You Need to Know About Obama’s Plan to Bypass Congress on Guns
Stymied by Republicans in Congress, President Barack Obama is expected to act alone to take executive action to tighten restrictions on gun sales. White House adviser Valerie Jarrett, speaking at a vigil last week for victims of the 2012 Newtown, Conn., shooting, confirmed that the president has asked his staff to complete a proposal that…Josh Siegel -
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As Obama, GOP Spar Over Gun Control and No-Fly List, What You Need to Know
In one of his calls to action for Congress after the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif., President Barack Obama urged lawmakers to pass legislation preventing suspected terrorists on the no-fly list from buying guns. So far, Republicans have voted down this proposal, just as they have rejected other gun control measures. While Obama and…Josh Siegel -
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NRA Executive: Second Amendment Rights Not to Blame for San Bernardino
President Obama shouldn’t blame the National Rifle Association or Second Amendment freedoms for the mass murder in San Bernardino, an NRA executive says. “Just when we think that politics can’t sink any lower, President Obama once again proves us wrong by politicizing the tragedy in San Bernardino before the facts were even known,” Chris W….Leah Jessen -
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College Student Takes a Stand Against Campus Free Speech Policy, Sues School
A student at an Arizona community college is challenging her school’s so-called “speech zone,” arguing the policy “severely limited” her right to free speech and due process. Brittany Mirelez, a freshman at Paradise Valley Community College in Maricopa County, Ariz., was kicked out of the designated speech zone in October for failing to obtain permission…Kelsey Bolar -
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This Top Democrat Vows to Push New Gun Controls in 2016
One of the Senate’s top Democrats has promised to renew a push to pass sweeping gun control legislation in 2016. At an event sponsored by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced that Senate Democrats will “bring a universal background check bill to the floor of the Senate early next…Philip Wegmann -
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Farmer Turned Property Rights Activist Presses Court Fight With Green Group, Realtors
Virginia environmentalists and big landowners have made a concerted effort to interfere with the business activities of an organic farmer, claims a new lawsuit describing harassment that comes close to stalking. Martha Boneta, who owns and operates the 64-acre Liberty Farm at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Paris, Va., seeks damages in…Kevin Mooney -
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Is There a Gun Violence Epidemic? The Numbers Say No
The recent mass shooting in Oregon has brought the seemingly endless debate on gun control back into the national spotlight. Are we, as some insist, in the midst of a gun violence crisis? Gun control advocates would certainly have you think so. Rolling Stone magazine has an entire section on its website dedicated to gun violence…Jason Snead -
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Oregon County Passes Initiative Allowing Sheriff to Void Gun Control Laws If He Thinks They’re Unconstitutional
Nearly a month after a tragic mass shooting shook Umpqua Community College, a rural Oregon county roughly two hours west of the school passed a measure directing the sheriff to bypass state and federal gun laws if he judges them unconstitutional. Coos County residents smoothly approved the Second Amendment Preservation Ordinance on Tuesday with more than…Natalie Johnson -
- Opinion
Lawmakers Need to Kill EPA’s and Corps’ Water Rule: Property Rights Are at Stake
Congress appears to be stepping up to the plate to kill the Environmental Protection Agency’s and Army Corps of Engineers’ water rule (known as the “waters of the United States” or WOTUS rule). Lawmakers just need to bring it home by sending legislation to the president. In doing so, Congress will be protecting Americans from environmental regulatory…Daren Bakst -
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Why Did the Environmental Protection Agency Spend $1.4 Million on Guns?
Even those of us who have worked in Washington for many years and become accustomed to the inner workings of government can still be amazed by what lurks behind the curtain sometimes. Case in point: the Environmental Protection Agency. Most Americans have at least heard of the EPA, even if they have only a dim notion…Ed Feulner -
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These Gun Control Activists Showed Up at the White House With a Tough Message for Obama
A new activist group rallied in front of the White House Saturday morning, demanding executive and legislative action on gun control from the president and Congress. Inspired by President Barack Obama’s lament this month that gun violence “has become routine” and frustrated by government inaction, Faith Elizabeth Grant founded the group A New Routine For…Philip Wegmann -
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Obama Considering Executive Order to Ramp Up Background Checks on Gun Customers
President Barack Obama is deliberating an executive order that would escalate background check requirements in a revived gun control push following the deadly shootings at Umpqua Community College last week. The proposed measure would enable the president to sidestep Congress to require anyone who surpasses a set number of gun sales to acquire a federal…Natalie Johnson -
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Senate Democrats Scheme How to Force Gun Control Vote
In the week after the mass shooting in Roseburg, Ore., Senate Democrats gathered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to demand stricter gun control and unveil their comprehensive policy package to achieve it. Frustrated by the inaction of Republicans and hamstrung by a lack of votes, the group of more than two dozen Senate…Philip Wegmann -
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NY Times Report: Number of Oregon Natives Want Guns After Massacre
The tragedy at Umpqua Community College in Oregon has reignited the national gun debate. Unlike President Barack Obama, who called for stricter gun control, The New York Times reports that many residents of Roseburg, Ore., “want to have a gun.” Passion and tension have gripped the nation as Americans fight for what they believe would be…Sara Jones -
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People Magazine Urges Readers to Call for Action Against ‘Gun Violence’
People Magazine issued its version of a “call to action” on gun control today, less than a week after a 26-year-old gunman killed nine and wounded nine others at an Oregon college before fatally shooting himself. People’s editorial director, Jess Cagle, published an editor’s letter about the massacre at Umpqua Community College and other mass shootings in America. In it,…Sara Jones -
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San Francisco’s Firearms Regulations Force City’s Last Gun Store to Close
San Francisco’s last gun shop is shutting down at the end of October as city legislators consider stricter gun control measures. High Bridge Arms manager Steve Alcairo told the Associated Press staff decided to close the 63-year-old store after a city supervisor began moving legislation that would require the shop to install video surveillance to record…Natalie Johnson -
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Students Score Victory for Free Speech at Dixie State University
The right to free speech gained new ground last month—not in some distant land, as one might expect, but at Dixie State University, because of three students who refused to be silenced. The case of Jergins v. Williams, a lawsuit filed on March 4, 2015, by students William Jergins, Forrest Gee, and Joey Gillespie,…Joshua Gill -
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Dana Perino Dissects Obama’s ‘Unpersuasive’ Call for More Gun Control
President Barack Obama ridiculed opponents of gun control Thursday, hours after a shooter in Oregon killed 10 people at a community college. Standing at a podium in the White House briefing room, the visibly frustrated president voiced alarm at what he said has become “routine” in America. “Somebody somewhere will comment and say, ‘Obama politicized…Daily Signal Staff -
- Opinion
Why Forcing Non-Profits to Disclose Their Donors Would Damage Free Speech
Critics of the current campaign process for state and federal offices are urging states and Congress to require nonprofit advocacy organizations to disclose the identities of their donors to the government, and thus the public, when they engage in political speech and discussion of public policy issues that might have an effect on an election….Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
Does China’s President Really Deserve a 21-Gun Salute?
You have to admit it’s quite curious. I’m talking about the elaborate state visit that President Obama is hosting this week for Chinese President Xi Jinping, replete with a star-studded formal White House state dinner and a 21-gun salute on the South Lawn tomorrow. Those are honors not given to many foreign heads of state….Peter Brookes