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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- News
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 -
- News
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 -
- Opinion
D.C. Has Lost Another Gun Rights Case
Seven years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the District of Columbia’s ban on handguns, D.C. has lost another gun case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia—one that involves the very same plaintiff, Dick Heller. In the latest case, Heller v. District of Columbia, a three-judge panel has thrown…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
Mexico, Interested in US Gun Control, Pushes International Arms Treaty
The first annual meeting of the nations that have ratified the 2014 Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) opened on Monday, August 24 at a spa in Cancún, Mexico. The treaty’s been controversial in the U.S. from the moment negotiations on it began, and this meeting will surely stoke the suspicions of those who think the treaty’s…Ted Bromund -
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Seattle Approves New Tax on Guns, Ammunition
The Seattle City Council passed a new tax on guns and ammunition Monday to raise revenue for violence prevention and gun safety research. The council unanimously approved the measure, adding a $25 tax on firearms sold in the city and a 5-cent tax on each round of ammunition. The legislation also requires gun owners to…Natalie Johnson -
- Opinion
The War on Free Speech
One of the rights we should celebrate (and cherish) during Liberty Month is freedom of speech. Another is our ability to freely choose our representatives in local, state and federal elections. Freedom to speak on public policy issues as well as on candidates and politics is directly related to the election process. Indeed, that freedom…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
Group Waging War on Meter Maids Tests Free Speech Limits
Forgetful residents of the New Hampshire city of Keene have found an ally with a group of activists who call themselves Free Keene. These self-styled “Robin Hooders” run ahead of meter officers, and slip nickels into expired meters. Free Keene members leave cards informing vehicle owners that they have been “Saved from the King’s Tariff!”…Andrew Kloster -
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Maine Becomes Latest State to Allow Concealed Guns Without a Permit
Maine passed a measure Wednesday permitting gun owners in the state to carry concealed handguns without a permit, becoming the sixth state in the U.S. with such a policy. Republican Gov. Paul LePage signed the bill into law, confirming a victory for gun-rights advocates who argue the permits do not prevent lawbreakers from carrying weapons….Natalie Johnson -
- Opinion
Enough With the Outrage Police: Free Speech Matters
Americans take justifiable pride in their right to free speech. People may be muzzled by their government in places such as Cuba and North Korea, but not here. You can say what’s on your mind without fear of prosecution. But can you do so without fear of persecution? More and more, it seems, the answer…Ed Feulner -
- News
Supreme Court Refuses to Stop Law That Restricts Gun Rights
The Supreme Court has refused to hear a major case regarding gun rights, leaving a strict San Francisco gun law intact. Gun owners in the city filed the appeal in an attempt to overturn a requirement that all handguns be “stored in a locked container or disabled with a trigger lock” when they are not…Natalie Johnson -
- Opinion
Kirsten Powers on the War Against Free Speech and Why Most on the Left Don’t Get It
I spoke with Fox News contributor Kirsten Powers this week about her new book, “The Silencing: How the Left Is Killing Free Speech.” Powers gives example after example of how those who oppose a particular political or cultural view will pull out all the stops to silence and shame their opposition. I begin by asking…Genevieve Wood -
- Opinion
DC Gets Slapped Again By a Federal Court Over Its Restrictive Gun Laws
The District of Columbia has lost the latest round in the seemingly never-ending litigation over the rules it keeps implementing to restrict Second Amendment rights. In Wrenn v. District of Columbia, federal District Court Judge Frederick Scullin issued an injunction prohibiting the District from requiring that anyone seeking a concealed carry permit demonstrate a “good…Hans von Spakovsky -
- News
Small Business Owner Says Bank Denied Service Because She Sells Guns
A small business owner from Central Florida alleges she was denied service by one of the largest banks in the United States strictly because she sells guns. “It’s a slap in the face,” Peggy Craig, owner of Michael’s Pawn and Gun in Fruitland Park, Fla., told The Daily Signal in an exclusive interview. “It affects…Kelsey Bolar -
- Opinion
Cartoon: Feeding Frenzy on Free Speech
News coverage of the Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas, where the two attackers who opened fire on the event were killed by police, has exposed a lack of understanding about the First Amendment among many in the mainstream media. It was not created to protect speech that doesn't offend anyone. It was created to protect…Glenn Foden -
- News
Major Bank Won’t Do Business With a Florida Gun and Pawn Shop. Is Choke Point to Blame?
Earlier this month, a small gun and pawn shop owner in Florida appeared to have found himself in the middle of an Operation Choke Point controversy when SunTrust Bank, out of the blue, closed his bank account. Some, including Steve Champion, the owner of American Gun & Pawn in Brooksville, Fla., were quick to blame…Kelsey Bolar -
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Access, Denied: More Gun Sellers Blocked From Financial Sector
After serving multiple deployments overseas with the U.S. Army Special Forces, Josh Burns began building his own rifles at home. In Sept. 2013, he and his wife Felicia, who also served in the military, decided they would make a business out of selling guns. “This is his hobby that [Josh] masks as a business so…Kelsey Bolar