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
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… -
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… -
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… -
news
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… -
news
High-Profile Dispute Between Farm, Green Group Yields Property Rights Bill
After clashing with a non-profit land trust over the terms and conditions of a conservation easement that sits on her property, Martha Boneta saw no alternative to litigation. That’s because the Piedmont Environmental Council, which serves as a co-holder of the easement, had overstepped its authority to the point where it was trespassing across her… -
news
Gun Shop Owner Says This State’s Restrictive Law ‘Killed Us in Terms of Business’
A gun and ammo shop in New York blames the state’s strict regulations on firearms for bringing an end to its business. “The SAFE Act killed us in terms of business,” Kordell Jackson, owner of Jackson Guns and Ammo Shop in Henrietta, N.Y., told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. “It was very difficult with sales and regulations… -
opinion
Firearms Industry Concerned About What Obama Will Do in Next Two Years
The SHOT Show — Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show — is the world’s largest gun show. Held annually in Las Vegas, it’s intended for those in the trade, not the general public. Walking its almost 16 miles of booths is a near-marathon feat of endurance, and every mile exhibits more firepower than all the… -
news
How Gun Owners Reacted to a Lawmaker’s Gun Control Pitch
MONTPELIER, Vt.—Speaking at a large pro-gun rally at the Vermont statehouse this week, state Sen. John Campbell told law-abiding Vermonters they would need to undergo criminal background checks before buying guns. “The major issue in this bill people are concerned with is expanding the background checks to all sales,” Campbell said. “There are people—probably 99.9… -
opinion
What the Firearms Industry Thinks About the UN Arms Trade Treaty Signed By Obama Administration
LAS VEGAS—Supposedly, the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty, which took effect Christmas Eve, is no big deal. But people who work in the business of manufacturing, importing and exporting firearms are concerned about the treaty and what it means for them and their industry. I talked to several last week at the Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor… -
news
Ready, Aim, Fire: Choke Point Draws Heat From Gun Industry
LAS VEGAS—Banned from financial services that are essential to running a business, firearms sellers attending the world’s largest gun exhibition last week in Las Vegas spoke out against the government’s controversial program known as Operation Choke Point. “We continue to hear from dealers and others in our industry that suddenly, out of the blue, they… -
news
Democrat State Senator: Gun Background Checks Unnecessary in Vermont
An influential Democratic state senator says he’s unlikely to support a bill requiring background checks on gun purchases because he believes the checks are unnecessary and unconstitutional in Vermont. “I need to be convinced that Vermont needs a background check. I doubt it’s necessary,” state Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington, told Vermont Watchdog. The statement echoes comments… -
news
Smoking Gun? Tape Recordings Reveal the Real Reason Bank Closed Gun Seller’s Account
Another gun seller says his firearms business was forced to shut down its bank account as a result of the government’s secretive initiative known as Operation Choke Point. This time, he’s offering audio recordings to prove it. Mike Schuetz is a former state employee who worked as a probation and parole officer for eight years… -
news
Gun Dealers Targeted by Operation Choke Point
Retailers in the gun industry told The Daily Signal’s Kelsey Harkness this week that they’re being discriminated against by payment processors that prohibit the use of their systems for online—and some in-store—sales of firearms, ammunition and certain accessories. The news prompted a full segment last night on Fox News’ “The Kelly File.” Watch the clip… -
news
Firearms Sellers Say They’re Being Choked Off From Payment Processors
Go to a gun show, and you won’t find many merchants using PayPal. You’ll also find few vendors using popular payment processors such as Square, Stripe and Spark Pay. That’s because some payment processors explicitly prohibit the use of their systems for online — and some in-store — sales of firearms, ammunition and certain accessories…. -
opinion
A Standing Ovation for Free Speech at the Golden Globes
Hollywood celebrities delivered a standing ovation in support of free speech this evening at the Golden Globe Awards. After show hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler began with a running theme that poked fun at Sony’s decision not to release “The Interview” in theaters because of threats from North Korea, things got a bit more… -
news
Virginia Farmer’s Property Rights Dispute With Green Group Hits Another Snag
Virginia farmer Martha Boneta thought her long-running dispute with a local green group was coming to an end. But now, that light at the end of the tunnel has gone dark again. Efforts to reach a settlement with a local green group, the Piedmont Environmental Council, are on hold. The PEC currently oversees enforcement duties… -
opinion
The New Sneaky Tactic Gun Control Advocates Are Embracing
Gun control advocates are changing strategy. If you can’t get legislation infringing upon the Second Amendment with President Obama sitting in the White House and Harry Reid, D-Nev., running the Senate, the chances of getting much done under the new Republican-controlled Congress are next to nil. Add to that the fact that the majority of… -
news
‘An Attack on Free Speech’: 12 Dead in Terror Assault of French Satirical Newspaper
UPDATE: French police say two suspects in Wednesday's terrorist attack remain on the run. In a statement on its website, French national police ask for information on the whereabouts of suspects Cherif Kouachi and Said Kouachi—brothers in their early 30s—warning that both could be armed and dangerous. A third suspect, Hamyd Mourad, 18, surrendered to police. The suspects… -
opinion
This Terrible Anti-Gun Treaty Goes Into Effect Christmas Eve
Today, on Christmas Eve, the UN’s Arms Trade Treaty takes effect, giving Americans a lump of coal in their stockings this holiday season. The ATT is a bad idea that keeps getting worse. In theory, it’s about stopping the sale of guns to terrorists and mass murderers. But in practice, it’s about preventing Israel from… -
news
Vermonters Using Social Media to ‘Expose’ Gun Control Agenda
How do ordinary Vermonters defend their constitutional rights against some of the most well-funded special-interest groups in the state? Facebook, of course. Vermonters seeking to preserve the state’s gun rights have taken to the Internet to combat a new threat to personal liberty. Gun Sense Vermont Exposed, a Facebook group launched in August, tracks nearly…