The Arbitrary Ban on Gun Possession by Drug Users Invites Wildly Uneven Enforcement
Violators are rarely caught, while the unlucky few who face prosecution can go to prison for years.
firearms policy
5th Circuit Says Prosecuting a Cannabis Consumer for Possessing Guns Violated the Second Amendment
The decision casts further doubt on the constitutionality of a federal law that makes it a felony for illegal drug users to own firearms.
Hunter Biden Shouldn't Go to Prison for Violating an Arbitrary Gun Law
A judge's questions about his plea deal should not obscure the point that the law he broke is unjust and arguably unconstitutional.
He's Facing Life in Prison for Owning Firearms Without a License
The government appears to agree that Charles Foehner shot a man in self-defense. He may spend decades behind bars anyway.
Gavin Newsom Wants To 'Permanently Enshrine' Gun Control in the U.S. Constitution
California’s governor insists his “28th Amendment” would leave the right to arms “intact.”
Disarming a Man Based on a Nonviolent Misdemeanor Was Unconstitutional, the 3rd Circuit Rules
The decision highlights the injustice of a federal law that bans gun possession by broad categories of "prohibited persons."
The Biden Administration Still Insists That Cannabis Consumers Have No Right to Arms
As pot prohibition collapses across the country, that policy is increasingly untenable.
New Jersey's Restrictions on Public Gun Possession Are 'Plainly Unconstitutional,' a Federal Judge Says
The state defied a Supreme Court ruling by banning guns from myriad "sensitive places."
Age Restrictions on Handgun Sales Are Unconstitutional, a Federal Judge Rules
U.S. District Judge Robert Payne concluded that 18-to-20-year-olds have the same Second Amendment rights as older adults.
The Allen Massacre Underlines the False Promise of 'Universal Background Checks'
Mass shooters typically do not have disqualifying records, and restrictions on private gun sales are widely flouted.
'Assault Weapon' Bans Look More Legally Vulnerable Than Ever
A preliminary injunction in Illinois may signal the demise of a long-running public policy fraud.
Washington's 'Assault Weapons' Ban Will Be as Impotent as Most Gun Laws
Once again, firearm-averse legislators chase after a restriction-averse public.
Washington Is Now the 10th State With a Logically and Constitutionally Dubious 'Assault Weapon' Ban
A federal lawsuit notes that the new law draws arbitrary distinctions and targets guns in common use for legal purposes.
Another Federal Judge Rejects the DOJ's Argument That Cannabis Consumers Have No Second Amendment Rights
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Cardone was unimpressed by the Biden administration's argument that marijuana users are too "dangerous" to own guns.
Restraining Orders Do Not Prove That People Are 'Dangerous'
The Biden administration is defending a federal law that disarms Americans based on "boilerplate language" in orders that judges routinely grant.
The Ruling Upholding the Gun Rights of People Subject to Restraining Orders Is Not As Crazy As You Might Think
The 5th Circuit noted that such orders can be issued without any credible evidence of a threat to others.
The DOJ Says Forbidding Pot Users To Own Guns Is Like Telling People Not To Carry Guns When They're Drunk
Defending a categorical ban on gun possession by cannabis consumers, the Biden administration cites inapt "historical analogues."
Biden's Plan To Unilaterally Expand Background Checks for Gun Buyers Is Legally and Logically Dubious
The president wants to redefine federally licensed gun dealers in service of an ineffective anti-crime strategy.
The DOJ Says Marijuana Use, Which Biden Thinks Should Not Be a Crime, Nullifies the Second Amendment
Even as the president bemoans the injustice of pot prohibition, his administration insists that cannabis consumers have no right to arms.
Credit Cards 'Pause' Efforts To Track Gun Purchases After Pushback
It’s a win for self-defense rights in ongoing campaigns to conscript businesses for political causes.
The Drug Exception to the Second Amendment
Conservatives have been slow to recognize the threat that drug prohibition poses to gun rights and other civil liberties.
Biden's Attack on 'Ghost Guns' Fits a Pattern of Lawless Firearm Regulation
The president and his predecessor both tried to impose gun control by executive fiat.
New York's Message to Gun Owners: You Can Have a Carry Permit. Good Luck Using It.
A New York Times story about the state's location-specific gun bans glosses over the vast territory they cover.
A Texas-Backed Lawsuit Argues That the ATF's Pistol Brace Rule Is Arbitrary and Unconstitutional
Although the law did not change, regulators suddenly decided to criminalize unregistered possession of braced pistols.
A Federal Judge Says the Ban on Gun Possession by Cannabis Consumers Is Unconstitutional
The government argued that marijuana users have no Second Amendment rights because they are dangerous, unvirtuous, and untrustworthy.
No Matter the 'Details on These Shootings,' Biden Says, Congress Should Respond by Banning 'Assault Weapons'
The president seems to have forgotten his concession that such laws leave murderers with plenty of options that are "just as deadly."
A 'Red Flag' Study Raises the Question of How Often People Who Talk About Mass Shootings Actually Commit Them
The researchers identified 662 cases involving threats to multiple victims, but they concede that it's likely "there are many more threats than completed events."
San Francisco Sits on Carry Permit Applications As Legislators Consider New Gun Restrictions
The city has not granted a single permit since the Supreme Court upheld the right to bear arms last June.
A Federal Judge Blocks New Jersey's Sweeping Restrictions on Public Gun Possession
By banning firearms from a wide range of "sensitive places," the state effectively nullified the right to bear arms.
Illinois Just Banned 'Assault Weapons' Because Their 'Only Intent' Is Mass Murder
The law is hard to defend on logical, practical, or constitutional grounds.
The 3rd Circuit Considers Whether Nonviolent Crimes Justify the Loss of Second Amendment Rights
Because of a misdemeanor welfare fraud conviction, Bryan Range is no longer allowed to own guns.
The 5th Circuit Says the ATF Exceeded Its Legal Authority When It Banned Bump Stocks
The decision defends the separation of powers and the rule of law against an attempt to prohibit firearm accessories by administrative fiat.
A Federal Judge Suggests That Oregon's 10-Round Magazine Limit Does Not Implicate the Second Amendment
The new ban, which has been blocked by a state judge, so far has fared better in federal court.
Could Colorado's 'Red Flag' Law Have Prevented the Club Q Massacre?
If an order had been issued, it would have expired months before the attack unless police successfully sought an extension.
Two Federal Judges Say New York's Presumptive Prohibition of Guns on Private Property Is Unconstitutional
The state's ban applies unless the property owner posts a sign allowing firearms or otherwise gives "express consent."
A Judge Accepts the Biden Administration's Dubious Argument for Banning Gun Possession by Marijuana Users
Even people who use cannabis for medical purposes risk severe penalties for daring to exercise their Second Amendment rights.
The Theoretical Lethality Index is useful for military history but not for gun control policy
Professors Miller and Tucker miss the mark, while Saul Cornell disdains accuracy
A Federal Judge Says New York's Ban on Guns in Church Is Unconstitutional
The state made it a felony to carry handguns for self-defense in "any place of worship or religious observation."
New Jersey Legislators Advance a Bill That Tramples on the Right To Bear Arms While Pretending To Respect It
Carry permit applicants would have to prove they are not dangerous, and guns would be banned from myriad locations.
New Jersey Joins New York in Defying the SCOTUS Decision Upholding the Right To Bear Arms
Legislators in both states favor subjective standards and sweeping restrictions for carry permits.
The Consequences That Hunter Biden Could Face for Violating Arbitrary Gun Laws Should Give His Father Pause
The president supports the law that could send his son to prison for lying about his personal habits while buying a firearm.
A Federal Judge Rejects New York's Attempt To Defy the SCOTUS Decision Upholding the Right To Bear Arms
The decision is a warning to states that impose vague permit standards or sweeping bans on guns in "sensitive locations."
The Largest-Ever Survey of American Gun Owners Finds That Defensive Use of Firearms Is Common
The results also confirm that "assault weapons" and "large capacity" magazines are widely used for lawful purposes.
A New Study Suggests That Black Southerners' Access to Firearms Reduced Lynchings
The analysis reinforces the historical case for armed self-defense in response to racist violence.
The 'Motherfucker' Who Enraged Beto O'Rourke Laughed at His Claims About the Rifles He Wants To Confiscate
The Texas gubernatorial candidate's interpretation reflects his assumption that opponents of "assault weapon" bans don't care about murdered schoolchildren.
D.C. Circuit Upholds the Bump Stock Ban, Saying It Is Consistent With the 'Best Interpretation' of the Law
It is hard to see how, given the contortions required to deliver the unilateral prohibition that Donald Trump demanded.
The Biden Administration Defends the Federal Ban on Gun Possession by Medical Marijuana Users
The Justice Department says that policy is rational and consistent with the right to keep and bear arms.
The 5th Circuit Considers Whether the Trump Administration Was Legally Authorized To Ban Bump Stocks
Regulators imposed the ban based on a highly implausible and counterintuitive reading of federal law.