The Supreme Court Agrees To Address the Constitutionality of 'Assault Weapon' Bans
The case could settle the long-simmering issue of whether the Second Amendment covers commonly owned but politically disfavored rifles.
firearms regulation
SCOTUS Overturns Hawaii's Default Rule Against Guns on Private Property Open to the Public
The decision means similar laws in other states likewise violate the Second Amendment, and it casts doubt on the constitutionality of location-specific gun bans that cover a lot of territory.
Supreme Court Ruling Offers Hope to an Iowa Marijuana User Who Got 4 Years for Owning Guns
The Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Hemani could open the door to relief for cannabis consumers convicted of illegal gun possession.
SCOTUS Unanimously Ruled That the Second Amendment Trumps Anti-Drug Sentiment
The decision is a modest but welcome step toward rectifying the injustice of criminalizing conduct that violates no one’s rights.
Clarence Thomas Explains Why the Commerce Clause Cannot Justify Federal Bans on Gun Possession
Even under the Supreme Court's highly elastic understanding of that clause, Thomas says, such laws do not qualify as regulation of interstate commerce.
Supreme Court Makes It Clear There Is No Drug Exception to the Second Amendment
The unanimous decision upholding the gun rights of cannabis consumers is striking given the Supreme Court's long history of accommodating the war on drugs.
Colorado Gun Owners Sue Over New Law Allowing Warrantless Access to Dealer Records
Law enforcement in Colorado can now inspect the records of any firearms dealer in the state "at all times" without a warrant, probable cause, or limits.
Virginia's New 'Assault Firearm' Ban Is Plainly Unconstitutional, a Federal Lawsuit Argues
Three Second Amendment groups say the law violates the right to own arms in common use for self-defense and other lawful purposes.
The Trump Administration Is a Powerful but Unreliable Ally of Second Amendment Advocates
Even as the Justice Department files lawsuits aimed at vindicating gun rights, it undermines them in other cases.
How the ACLU Started Defending the Second Amendment
The civil liberties group, which long maintained that there is no constitutional right to arms, sang a different tune at the Supreme Court this year.
ATF Rule Changes Could Ease Restrictions for Gun Owners and Dealers
While not groundbreaking, the regulatory shifts offer some welcome relief.
DOJ Challenges Denver's 'Assault Weapon' Ban and Colorado's Magazine Limit
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon argues that both laws violate the Second Amendment by banning arms in common use for lawful purposes.
Virginia's Impending 'Assault Firearm' Ban Is Logically and Constitutionally Dubious
The ban, which targets guns based on criteria that make little sense, seems vulnerable to a challenge under the Supreme Court's Second Amendment precedents.
Civil Libertarians Left and Right Unite To Oppose Disarming Cannabis Consumers
A Supreme Court case illustrates the potential for trans-partisan alliances between critics of gun control and critics of the war on drugs.
An Iowa Pot User Serving 4 Years for Gun Possession Gets Another Chance To Challenge His Prosecution
Alexander Ledvina was convicted of violating a federal law at the center of a Second Amendment case that the Supreme Court is considering.
SCOTUS Seems Skeptical of the Federal Ban on Gun Possession by Cannabis Consumers
Most of the justices seemed unsatisfied by the Trump administration's argument that the law is constitutional as applied to a Texas marijuana user.
The ACLU, Long Leery of the Second Amendment, Joins the NRA in Urging SCOTUS To Uphold Pot Users' Gun Rights
"We see this as an important civil liberties issue," says an ACLU lawyer.
The ATF Created a Backdoor Gun Registry. Lawmakers Want an Explanation.
Federal law bans the creation of a gun registry, but regulators made one anyway.
If 'You Bring a Gun' to D.C., U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro Warns, 'You're Going to Jail'
The prosecutor's threat renewed concerns about the Trump administration's commitment to protecting Second Amendment rights.
The NRA and NORML Unite To Oppose the Federal Gun Ban for Marijuana Users
Drug policy reformers and Second Amendment advocates team up in a case before the Supreme Court.
Conference for Arms Law Scholars
Have your paper critiqued by experts from all perspectives at the 2026 Firearms Law Works-in-Progress Conference
Disarming Millions of Americans Simply Because They Use Marijuana Is Unconstitutional, a SCOTUS Brief Says
The Liberty Justice Center is urging the Supreme Court to uphold a 5th Circuit decision rejecting the claim that cannabis consumers have no Second Amendment rights.
Alex Pretti's Death Widens a Split Between Trump and Gun Rights Groups
Federal officials suggested that carrying a firearm is inherently threatening and an invitation to police violence.
SCOTUS Seems Inclined To Reject Hawaii's Default Rule Against Guns on Private Property Open to the Public
The state requires carry permit holders to obtain advance permission before bringing firearms into businesses.
19 States That Legalized Marijuana Use Nevertheless Say It Should Disqualify People From Owning Guns
They are joining the Trump administration in urging the Supreme Court to uphold a federal law that disarms "unlawful" drug consumers.
California's Ban on Openly Carrying Guns Is Unconstitutional, 9th Circuit Says
The ruling, which emphasizes the lack of historical support for such a law, is unlikely to survive en banc review.
The DOJ Assails D.C.'s 'Assault Weapon' Ban As an Arbitrary, Historically Ungrounded Gun Law
The department's lawsuit notes that the prohibited firearms are "in common use" for "lawful purposes," meaning they are covered by the Second Amendment.
The DOJ Says It Will Challenge Unconstitutional Gun Policies. Maybe It Should Stop Defending Them.
The Justice Department's litigation positions are at odds with its avowed intent to protect Second Amendment rights.
This Gun Case Harks Back to Constitutional Concerns About the Limits of Federal Power That Now Seem Quaint
Congress justified that National Firearms Act of 1934 as a revenue measure—a rationale undermined by the repeal of taxes on suppressors and short-barreled rifles.
Will SCOTUS Resolve the Circuit Split on a Law That Disarms People With Nonviolent Criminal Records?
Steven Duarte is one of several petitioners who are asking the justices to address the constitutionality of that absurdly broad gun ban.
New Jersey Cops Took His Guns Because They Were Worried About His Wife's Mental Health
Elsid Aliaj says the seizure violated state law and the Second Amendment.
Trump, an Avowed Second Amendment Champion, Defends a Gun Ban With 'No Historical Justification'
His administration is urging the Supreme Court to uphold a prosecution for violating a federal law that bars illegal drug users from owning firearms.
SCOTUS Will Consider the Constitutionality of the Federal Ban on Gun Possession by Illegal Drug Users
The law applies to millions of Americans who pose no plausible threat to public safety, including cannabis consumers in states that have legalized marijuana.
California's Latest Dumb Gun Law is a Ban on Glocks
According to California lawmakers, Kamala Harris’s pistol is a potential machinegun.
The NRA Supports SCOTUS Petitioners Who Lost Their Gun Rights Because of Nonviolent Offenses
The cases give the justices a chance to address a constitutionally dubious policy that disarms peaceful Americans.
2 Controversies Over Political Rhetoric Illustrate the Perils of Blaming Gun Control Critics for Murder
That strategy, which rejects the possibility of sincere disagreement, is poisonous to rational debate.
SCOTUS Will Consider a Challenge to Hawaii's Default Rule Against Guns on Private Property Open to the Public
The law is one of several attempts to override the right to bear arms by making it impractical to exercise.
The 9th Circuit Overturns a Man's Conviction for Holding a Shotgun on the Sidewalk in Front of His House
The decision, which hinges on an exception to the Gun-Free School Zones Act, does not say whether that law is consistent with the Second Amendment.
Florida's Ban on Openly Carrying Guns Is Unconstitutional, State Appeals Court Rules
A unanimous three-judge panel concluded that "no historical tradition supports" the 1987 law.
The Trump Administration's Half-Baked Plan To Disarm Transgender People Is Legally Bankrupt
Such a gun ban is not authorized by statute or allowed by the Second Amendment.
The Proposed Ban on Gun Possession by Transgender People Would Be Neither Legal Nor Constitutional
The Justice Department reportedly is considering a regulation aimed at disarming "mentally ill individuals suffering from gender dysphoria."
The Gun-Free School Zones Act Is Doubly Dubious
The federal law relies on a risible reading of the Commerce Clause to restrict a constitutional right.
The 10th Circuit Agrees That Prosecuting Cannabis Consumers for Gun Possession May Be Unconstitutional
The appeals court rejected most of the arguments in favor of that policy, saying "the government must show non-intoxicated marijuana users pose a risk of future danger."
The 11th Circuit Revives a Constitutional Challenge to the Federal Law That Disarms Medical Marijuana Patients
The appeals court concluded that the government had failed to show that policy is consistent with "this Nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation."
The New York Times Says the Manhattan Mass Shooter Was 'Committed,' but That's Not True
The same newspaper notes that the killer "obtained a firearm legally," which means he was never "committed" to a mental health institution.
New York's Governor Blames Nevada's 'Weak Gun Laws' for the Manhattan Mass Shooting
Kathy Hochul's focus on "assault weapons" is puzzling, since the perpetrator easily could have killed the same number of people with a gun that did not fall into that politically defined category.
Californians Can Now Buy Ammunition Online Just Like Free Americans
Golden State ammunition restrictions have been voided for violating the Second Amendment.
Hunter Biden Walks Free While This Iowa Man Serves 4 Years for the Same 'Crime'
The contrast between the two cases illustrates the haphazard impact of an arbitrary, constitutionally dubious gun law.
