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
‘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 -
- Opinion
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 -
- News
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 -
- Opinion
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 -
- Opinion
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 -
- Opinion
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 -
- Opinion
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. -
- Opinion
Second Amendment a Blessing, Not a ‘Curse,’ in End-of-Year Examples of Defensive Gun Use
The editorial board of a major New Jersey newspaper started the year off with an anti-Second Amendment screed, decrying the right to keep and bear arms as a “curse” perpetuated by a “fanatical” interpretation created by the Supreme Court in 2008. Among other things, editors at the Newark-based Star-Ledger bemoaned that the Second Amendment keeps…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
BOLD-FACED LIE: Gun Control Groups Twist Heritage Foundation Data Out of Recognition in Court Documents
A conglomerate of gun control groups has filed a brief in federal court supporting the District of Columbia in a lawsuit challenging the city’s prohibition on civilian possession of magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds. This was not at all surprising. What was quite perplexing, however, was the gun control groups’ citation of…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
Corporate Media Suddenly Concerned About Free Speech After Twitter Suspends Several Journalists
The corporate media is in hysterics because a few of their own were finally suspended on Twitter. Twitter reportedly banned the accounts for sharing information about the location of Twitter owner Elon Musk’s private jet. This comes just after Musk said a “crazy stalker” followed his car, which had his 2-year-old son inside, and jumped…Jarrett Stepman -
- Opinion
12 More Examples of Defensive Gun Use Show ‘Redeeming Social Value’ of Firearms
After mass public shootings in Colorado and Virginia last month, President Joe Biden appeared to call for a ban on all semiautomatic firearms. Biden told reporters: “The idea we still allow semiautomatic weapons to be purchased is sick. It’s just sick. It has no, no social redeeming value. Zero. None. Not a single, solitary rationale for it except…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
Black Guns Matter
We know about Black Lives Matter. My new video is about a group called Black Guns Matter. Maj Toure, a Philadelphia high school dropout-turned-activist, tells me he started it after he got tired of hearing people endless chanting, “Black lives matter,” but saying nothing “when it’s time for black people to defend their lives.” Toure…John Stossel -
- Opinion
Black Homicide Rates Are Back at ’90s Levels. The Problem Isn’t the Guns.
The Left loves to talk about “disparate impact”—until it interferes with its narratives. A recently released study found that homicide rates for black men have shot back up to the extremely high levels of the early 1990s. If black lives truly matter, stemming the sudden explosion in violent crime where black men are primarily the…Jarrett Stepman -
- Opinion
Claims of Free Speech, Anti-Gay Discrimination Clash at Supreme Court in Website Designer’s Case
In an already packed Supreme Court term—one in which the justices will consider everything from racial preferences in the college-admissions process to President Joe Biden’s student-loan forgiveness plan—one case looms large: 303 Creative v. Elenis. In this high-profile controversy, the court has been asked to decide whether the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act—the state’s public accommodations nondiscrimination…Sarah Parshall Perry -
- News
Supreme Court Hears Graphic Designer’s Case in Major Free Speech-Gay Rights Battle
The Supreme Court is weighing in on a free speech case that could affect millions of Americans. The high court heard oral arguments Monday for a case involving Colorado graphic designer Lorie Smith. Smith does not want to be forced to create custom wedding websites for same-sex weddings, but a Colorado public accommodations law would…Virginia Allen -
- Opinion
The Media vs. Free Speech on Twitter
Anyone who thinks the First Amendment is best represented by the “news” media isn’t paying attention to the way they wage war on freedom of speech for the conservative “rabble” on social media platforms. Imagine if the media had attacked new media owners Jeff Bezos or David Zaslav with the kind of venom that they’re…Tim Graham -
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Win for Website Designer at Supreme Court Would Be Win for Free Speech for All
Imagine you’re an artist who creates custom websites. A new client asks you to create one that will promote a pro-life rally and celebrate the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Dobbs decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Unbeknownst to the client, you disagree with the June 24 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision and in…Lathan Watts -
- Opinion
Biden’s Misplaced Emphasis on One Gun
We now know at least one of the priorities of the Biden administration during the remaining weeks Democrats control the House of Representatives. The president says he would try to “get rid of assault weapons.” Speaking to reporters at his Nantucket, Massachusetts, holiday house, President Joe Biden said: “The idea [that] we still allow semi-automatic…Cal Thomas -
- News
Oregon Voters Narrowly OK Restrictive Gun Control Measure Creating ‘Database’ of Gunowners
Oregon voters approved a ballot question that is considered one of the most restrictive gun control measures in the country. Known as Measure 114, the ballot question was approved 51% to 49%, with 77% of the vote counted, The Oregonian reported early Wednesday. Though the results were close with just over three-fourths of the vote…Bronson Winslow -
- Opinion
12 More Incidents in Which Lawful Gun Owners Stopped Criminals
In a case called New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, the Supreme Court in June struck down concealed carry permitting frameworks in several states that effectively prohibited ordinary Americans from carrying firearms in public for self-defense. Since then, residents of those states have applied for concealed carry permits in droves, showing just…Amy Swearer