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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‘Muzzling Speech’: Federal Appeals Court Shoots Down California Gun Ad Law
A federal appeals court Wednesday ruled against a California law banning certain gun advertisements. The California law prohibits firearm advertisements that could be construed as “designed, intended or reasonably appears attractive to minors.” But since minors can't purchase firearms, and California already takes steps to prevent youth gun violence, the laws serves the purpose of…Jake Smith -
12 Defensive Gun Uses Show That Armed Citizens Make Communities Safer
As the nation continues to reel from historic violent crime spikes, many gun control activists turn reflexively to the same “bumper sticker slogan” policy “solutions” that fail to address real problems while often undermining the Second Amendment rights of peaceable citizens. Last week, some Hartford, Connecticut, residents made headlines for taking a different approach. Instead…Amy Swearer -
It’s Not Hard to Tell Good Guy From Bad Guy, as 12 More Defensive Gun Uses Show
In a recent opinion piece in The Kansas City Star, sociology professor and military veteran Doug McGaw argues that the Second Amendment is “a relic of the 18th century” that needs to be repealed. Although McGaw certainly is entitled to his opinion, his “argument” boils down to little more than a litany of common gun…Amy Swearer -
Pew Research: Democrats Value Free Speech Far Less Than Republicans
In case you were in doubt—and if you were in doubt, that means you aren’t following what is happening in America to the most important freedom of all—Pew Research has confirmed that Democrats value free speech far less than Republicans do. Read the following statistics and conclusions and weep for our country: “The share of…Dennis Prager -
Sorry, Gov. Newsom, but Citizens Want to Use Guns to Defend Themselves, Others
Last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled his proposal for a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which the Democrat says would “enshrine fundamental, broadly supported gun safety measures into law while leaving the Second Amendment unchanged.” Although the Second Amendment protects individual liberty by telling the government what it can’t do with respect to…Amy Swearer -
‘Pride’ Police Claim Free Speech Is ‘Unsafe.’ Get Over It.
June is designated as “Pride Month,” which is allegedly about inclusion and diversity, but the Pride Police don’t actually believe in that. There is no diversity of opinions on LGBTQ issues. It’s “My Way” or the Bigot Highway. They say “Pride Month” is about visibility, but there shall be no visibility for any resistance. Their…Tim Graham -
Hollywood May Tell You Differently, but Reality Includes These 12 Examples of Defensive Gun Use
Last month, the University of Southern California’s Hollywood, Health & Society Program published “Trigger Warning: Gun Guidelines for Media,” a series of recommendations for the entertainment industry on how it should portray firearms. Although some of these guidelines offer helpful suggestions, particularly about how the media should deal with the topic of suicide, the publication…Amy Swearer -
Top 10 Companies That Ignore First Amendment Rights
A new database shows that some of Americans’ favorite companies—such as Airbnb, Amazon, and Disney—disregard religious freedom and free speech. Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal organization devoted to protecting religious freedom and other First Amendment rights, joined with Inspire Insight, an investment tool that provides data on the religious values of companies, to produce the…Gigi De La Torre -
When Government Censors Religious Views, It Violates First Amendment
The government shouldn’t prevent Americans from expressing their religious beliefs. But that’s exactly what the state of Washington is trying to do. Brian Tingley is a licensed marriage and family counselor. For the past 20 years, Tingley’s deeply held religious beliefs have been the source of the guidance he offers his clients, who come to him…Ryan Gardner -
Gun Control Advocates Claim Initial Victory in Illinois, but Here’s Why They’ll Likely Lose the War
The Supreme Court declined to intervene Wednesday in an important Second Amendment case challenging Illinois’ new restrictions on gun owners. But no, it’s not time to panic. The battle isn’t over. Not even close. Earlier this year, Illinois enacted a law prohibiting civilian sales or transfers of many types of commonly owned semiautomatic rifles, based…Amy Swearer -
‘Long Guns Pointed at Me and My 7 Children’: Pro-Life Dad Tells Lawmakers About Arrest
Here’s a lightly edited transcript of what Mark Houck, a pro-life dad who was arrested last year at gunpoint and then later acquitted by a jury, told House lawmakers during a hearing Tuesday. The hearing, “Revisiting the Implications of the FACE Act,” was held by the House Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution and limited government:…Daily Signal Staff -
11 Defensive Gun Uses Show How Lawful Gun Owners ‘Get It Right’
Often lost in conversations about gun violence is the reality of who is responsible for the bulk of that violence. Most gun crimes aren’t committed by lawful gun owners but by a small subset of repeat violent offenders who already are prohibited from legally possessing firearms. At the same time, the vast majority of the nation’s…Amy Swearer -
11 Instances of Defensive Gun Use Dramatize Wisdom of Second Amendment
In recent decades, gun control advocates increasingly have tried to rewrite history by asserting that the Second Amendment—despite its plain text—never was supposed to protect a “right of the people” to keep and bear arms, but rather grants to state governments only the authority to maintain militias. The latest purveyor of this objectively false narrative…Amy Swearer -
‘Unconstitutional’: Federal Judge Blocks Multiple California Gun Restrictions
A federal judge issued a temporary injunction blocking multiple California gun restrictions Monday, saying the laws violated the Constitution in light of a landmark Supreme Court case in June. Federal District Judge Cormac J. Carney, a George W. Bush appointee, temporarily restricted portions of California’s Unsafe Handgun Act that mandated purchase restrictions on certain handguns, such as magazine safety…Bronson Winslow -
These 12 Defensive Uses of Guns Support Student’s Plea for Armed Self-Defense
After a gunman killed three students last month at Michigan State University, the campus was quickly awash in cries for more gun control. It wasn’t long before the Rock, a campus monument long used by students as a free canvas for promoting school events and social issues, became a focal point of pro-gun control messaging….Amy Swearer -
Over 30,000 Petition in Defense of Former Police Officer’s Free Speech Rights
In a massive show of public support for former police officer Jacob Kersey, petitions containing over 30,000 signatures will be delivered Friday to the mayor and city council of Port Wentworth, Georgia, calling on city officials to apologize for infringing his First Amendment rights. Kersey, a 19-year-old police rookie, was pulled from duty and pressured…Dan Hart -
California Gun Control Isn’t the Cure for What Ails Us. It Isn’t Even the Cure for California.
After every high-profile mass shooting, gun control advocates reflexively demand that we “just do something” about the problem. Invariably, that “something” means a very specific set of things, which can be summarized as a singular effort to impose California’s restrictive gun laws at the federal level. But did anyone bother asking whether California’s “cure” for…Amy Swearer -
These 11 Examples of Defensive Gun Use Refute Notion of Second Amendment as ‘Suicide Pact’
After a series of mass public shootings rocked California last month despite its incredibly strict gun control laws, Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, blamed the Second Amendment, lamenting to a reporter that the right to keep and bear arms “is becoming a suicide pact.” Newsom’s anti-gun rhetoric came, ironically, during an interview in which he…Amy Swearer -
Get Ready for Another Cynical, Useless, Gun-Control Push by Democrats
The first question any reasonable person asks after a horrible crime is, “What could have been done to stop it?” Yet after every mass shooting, gun controllers suggest unworkable, unconstitutional, completely ineffectual ideas that target people who will never commit a crime. After the twin mass shootings in California earlier this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom…David Harsanyi -
New Gun Regulation Handicaps the Disabled
The Biden administration’s newly released regulations regarding “pistol-stabilizing braces” will instantly turn tens of thousands of law-abiding Americans into felons and create a national rifle registry. But the Biden administration and the media exaggerate the costs and ignore the benefits these braces produce. Few seem to realize that stabilizing braces for pistols were originally designed to allow wounded and disabled veterans…John R. Lott Jr.