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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- Opinion
8 Problems With San Jose’s Gun Insurance Mandate and Gun Ownership Tax
Lawful gun ownership in San Jose, California, is about to become more expensive and onerous after the City Council passed a measure imposing two unprecedented burdens on the possession of firearms inside city limits. Beginning later this year, San Jose’s lawful gun owners will be required to maintain “a homeowner’s, renter’s, or gun liability insurance…Amy Swearer -
- News
‘Free Speech Advocates’ Panic Over Parents’ Push for More Curriculum Transparency
Teachers, unions, and “free speech advocates” argue that more school curriculum transparency would be equivalent to “educational gag orders,” experts told NBC News. State lawmakers in at least 12 states across the U.S. have introduced legislation to promote more school transparency by requiring teachers to post educational materials online, NBC News reported. Conservatives see more transparency…Kendall Tietz -
- Opinion
14 Examples of Defensive Gun Use at End of 2021
Americans legally bought more than 18.5 million firearms in 2021, down just slightly from 2020’s unprecedented surge in gun sales but still the second-highest year for sales on record. The available data seems to confirm that millions of these sales were to first-time gun owners, and that the gun-owning community is becoming increasingly diverse demographically….Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
So-Called Global Respect Act Disrespects Religious Liberty, Free Speech Rights
The House of Representatives is preparing to vote on the so-called Global Respect Act (HR 3485), which would impose sanctions on foreigners, including private citizens, who are determined to be responsible for human rights violations against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex individuals. While the concept sounds positive (after all, who wants to see anyone’s…Grace Melton -
- Opinion
These 12 Incidents of Defensive Gun Use Prove Armed Civilians Make Situations Safer
I testified earlier this month at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Chicago on underlying causes of the spikes in gun violence in that city and around the country. Although Sen. Dick Durbin’s interruptions of my opening statement stole the show in many respects, it shouldn’t be overlooked that the Illinois Democrat also solicited disparaging…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
10 More Examples of Defensive Gun Use That Undercut New York’s Logic on Restrictive Firearms Laws
The Supreme Court heard arguments earlier this month in a major Second Amendment case challenging New York’s restrictive framework for approving concealed carry permits. During the arguments in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, New York Solicitor General Barbara Underwood defended the fact that officials more strictly apply the discretionary framework to…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
Supreme Court Arguments in New York Gun Case Signal Uphill Battle to Defend Overly Restrictive Laws
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in the first significant Second Amendment case the court has taken up in over a decade. Although the high court is unlikely to render a decision in the case until next spring, the arguments in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen highlighted the many ways in…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
‘Free Speech’ Media Allies With Transgender Tyranny
The left claims their most urgent battle is to save democracy, but when it comes to any questioning of the LGBT lobby, they are the ones who sound like authoritarians. The overtones are unmistakable in the “news” coverage promoting “dozens” of employees walking out of Netflix in Los Angeles on Oct. 20 in protest. The…Tim Graham -
- Opinion
11 More Reasons Biden Administration Is Wrong About Onerous Gun Restrictions
The Biden administration last month filed a brief encouraging the Supreme Court to uphold New York City’s de facto ban preventing ordinary citizens from carrying firearms in public. The administration argued that an onerous “good cause” requirement—giving the city’s police department unmitigated discretion over citizens’ exercise of a fundamental right—is a perfectly reasonable regulation. This…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
11 Examples of Defensive Gun Use That Bid ‘Good Riddance’ to Biden’s ATF Nominee
President Joe Biden last week withdrew his nomination of prominent gun control activist David Chipman to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Biden’s move came after months of bipartisan concern over Chipman’s advocacy of severely restrictive gun control measures, his controversial statements appearing to mock new gun owners, and allegations of racist…Amy Swearer -
- News
President Withdraws Nomination of Former Agent to Head ATF
President Joe Biden on Thursday announced the withdrawal of his nomination of gun control activist David Chipman to run the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Biden’s move comes after Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, joined unified Republican opposition in the Senate to Chipman’s heading ATF. King caucuses with Senate Democrats. Some centrist Democrats also…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
12 Defensive Gun Uses Underscore Fallacy of Mexico’s Lawsuit
The Mexican government announced a lawsuit earlier this month against several high-profile U.S. gun manufacturers. Mexico accuses the U.S. companies of “negligent practices” it claims are driving gun violence in Mexico by arming drug cartels with “military grade weapons.” Put aside for a moment that the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act likely…Amy Swearer -
- News
Senate Republicans Demand New Hearing for Biden ATF Nominee Over ‘Racist’ Remark
Every Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee signed a letter Thursday demanding a new hearing for President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives following allegations that the nominee made a racist comment while working at the agency around 2007. The Daily Caller News Foundation first reported June 22 that…Andrew Kerr -
- Opinion
Hero at Las Vegas Shooting on Mission to Protect Second Amendment
On Oct. 1, 2017, a gunman opened fire from high above the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas, ultimately killing 60 and wounding more than 400. The crime, in which another 456 persons were injured, remains the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. But out of this tragedy comes a story of true…Douglas Blair -
- Opinion
11 Examples of Why Government Shouldn’t Go After Lawful Gun Industry
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently issued a “first in the nation” executive order on gun violence, declaring it a “disaster emergency” in his state and vesting himself with the authority to treat it as a “public health crisis” just like the COVID-19 pandemic. Cuomo, a Democrat, also signed into law a bill to hold…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
Want Less Violence? Promote Gun Ownership
Would carrying a gun make you feel safer? Robert Nash and Brandon Koch thought so. But the state of New York denied them gun permits, saying they hadn’t demonstrated a “special need.” Why did they have to prove such a “need”? The Supreme Court ruled more than 10 years ago that all Americans have a…John Stossel -
- News
Biden Backs Gun Control, Not Defunding Police, in New Executive Actions
President Joe Biden announced a host of executive actions Wednesday, many of them backing up his long-standing support for gun control and others distancing himself from some fellow Democrats who want to defund the police. “The Second Amendment from the day it was passed limited the type of people who could own a gun, and…Fred Lucas -
- Opinion
Supreme Court Protects Property Rights Against Union Trespass
The Supreme Court on Wednesday held that a state law permitting labor union organizers to enter farmland without permission to try to organize workers was unconstitutional under the Fifth and 14th Amendments to the Constitution. The ruling was 6 to 3. In Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid, the court considered a California regulation that allowed…GianCarlo Canaparo -
- Opinion
Supreme Court Issues Victory for Free Speech, but Questions Remain
The Supreme Court issued a win Wednesday for Brandi Levy, a former Mahanoy Area School District student known to court watchers as the “cussing cheerleader.” But the court’s decision made it unclear what other types of student speech a public school can censor. After failing to make her school’s varsity cheerleading squad, Levy posted two…Sarah Parshall Perry -
- Opinion
13 Examples of How Miami’s Police Chief Is Wrong on Defensive Gun Use
Whenever criminals harm someone with firearms, many gun control advocates use the violence as an argument to disarm ordinary, peaceable Americans. Indeed, this is precisely what happened May 23 after two groups opened fire on each other outside a crowded strip club in Austin, Texas, fatally wounding one bystander and injuring 13 others, most of…Amy Swearer