Opinion:California School District May Ban the Dictionary

By Reason Foundation January 25, 2010

By Radley Balko Given the headline, you'd be forgiven for thinking the offending entries were an affront to political correctness. Nope. Just good old-fashioned prudery. After a parent complained about an elementary school student stumbling across "oral sex" in a classroom dictionary, Menifee...

Opinion:Anti-Gun Tom Ridge Drops Out of Senate Race

By Gun Owners of America May 10, 2009

Earlier this week, GOA alerted you that certain prominent Republicans were pushing former Department of Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge to run against pro-gunner Pat Toomey in a Pennsylvania primary. GOA members flooded the Republican National Committee (RNC) office with phone calls and...

News:NRA Urges Supreme Court to Overturn Chicago Gun Ban

By National Rifle Association June 09, 2009

Last week, NRA filed a petition for certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of NRA v. Chicago . The NRA strongly disagrees with the decision issued by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, holding that the Second Amendment does not...

Opinion:Gun Lobby's Troubling Attempt to Overturn Chicago Handgun Ban

By Freedom States Alliance June 29, 2009

(The following is a joint press release from the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence and the Freedom States Alliance). The Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence sharply criticized the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) and Illinois Carry for holding a public rally Friday...

Opinion:Nicaragua Shows What Could Be if Abortion Outlawed in US

By Amnesty International July 29, 2009

Since July 2008, abortion in all circumstances has been banned in Nicaragua. The new law makes no exceptions for terminating pregnancies that endanger the health or life of the woman, or that result from rape or incest. Girls or women seeking or obtaining abortions are subject to...

Opinion:NYC Wants to Ban Smoking Outdoors-Going Too Far?

By Reason Foundation September 15, 2009

by Jacob Sullum New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley, who wants to expand the city's smoking ban to cover parks and beaches, makes no bones about the fact that the goal is to save smokers from themselves. According to The New York Times , "Dr. Farley said the ban—which...

Opinion:Is Banning Sex Toys Constitutional? Courts Disagree

By Reason Foundation September 16, 2009

by Brian Doherty Eugene Volokh forsees the highest court in the land contemplating the legality of state and local bans on any "device designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs." As Volokh explains , the Fifth and 11th federal appeals court circuits...

Opinion:PETA Calls For Shock Collar Ban After Dad Uses it on Kids

By PETA September 30, 2009

Residents of Salem, Oregon, were stunned to find out that their neighbor, 41-year-old Todd Marcum , was using a shock collar to torment his four children —who range from age 3 to age 9. At a trial this week, Marcum pleaded guilty to four counts of criminal mistreatment and was sentenced to...

Video:Thomas Edison's Iconic Light Bulb on the Way to Extinction

By Reason Foundation October 13, 2009

In September, the European Union banned the sale of 100-watt incandescent light bulbs, with lawbreakers facing up to $70,000 in fines. Over the next few years, bans on lower-wattage bulbs kick in. In the United States, similar legislation comes into play in 2012. The idea is to kickstart the market...

Video:NRA's LaPierre Debates Pa. Gov. Rendell on Assault Weapons Ban

By National Rifle Association April 21, 2009

On Sunday, April 19, NRA's executive vice president Wayne LaPierre appeared on CBS' Face the Nation . Wayne stressed that enforcing existing laws was the answer to curbing gun crime , and not enacting failed methods such as renewing the Clinton semi-automatic gun ban proposed by gun...

Opinion:Jimmy Carter Off Base for Supporting Assault Weapons Ban

By Reason Foundation April 27, 2009

In a New York Times op-ed piece , former President Jimmy Carter presents revival of the federal "assault weapon" ban, which President Obama supports, as a no-brainer, since the guns that were covered by the expired 1994 law are "designed only to kill police officers and the people they...

Opinion:Gun Owners on Verge of Huge Right to Carry Victory

By Gun Owners of America May 19, 2009

Get ready to pinch yourself. After eight years of clashing with anti-gun bureaucrats and congressional leadership hostile to gun rights , we have never been closer to victory in the battle to repeal the National Park Service (NPS) gun ban. As you are by now undoubtedly aware, NPS land is subject...

Opinion:Vatican Bans Facebook at its Offices

By Thomas Peters June 16, 2009

From Jack Smith at the Catholic Key blog : "From Catholic News Service. It's in the client area, so no public link. Excerpts: ' The Vatican spokesman said the move is a "normal and prudent" measure that reflects similar strategies taken by other companies around the world that have blocked...

Opinion:Possible FDA Ban on E-Cigarettes is Wrong Move

By Competitive Enterprise Institute August 03, 2009

by Hans Bader The FDA is now moving towards banning a smoking alternative that could save many lives. Every year, millions of smokers like my wife try and fail to quit, because they are nicotine addicts. Many later die of smoking-related illnesses, which are caused by the smoke, not the...

Opinion:Would You Wear Dog or Cat Fur? Canada Says "Sure"

By International Fund for Animal Welfare September 27, 2009

(GUELPH, ONTARIO) -- If wearing cat and dog fur becomes all the rage in the Great White North, blame Canada. A recent article by the Canadian Press has revealed that the government of Canada will not join the United States and Europe in barring cat and dog fur imports, in fear such action could...

Opinion:Poll-Majority of Americans Against Stricter Gun Control

By National Shooting Sports Foundation October 09, 2009

New Rasmussen and Gallup reports reveal that more Americans oppose stricter gun control laws. "Just 39 percent of Americans now say the United States needs stricter gun control," according to Rasmussen Reports, which released its poll results last Monday. Rasmussen reported that...

Opinion:There's No Way to Enforce Texting-While-Driving Ban

By The Cato Institute October 14, 2009

by Radley Balko Forget flu season. Several times per year, America comes down with a national case of TOBAL-itis. TOBAL is short for "There Oughtta Be a Law." Here's the progression of symptoms: Wrenching anecdotes about the effects of some alleged new trend make national news. A panic takes...

Opinion:NRA Sues Seattle Over Illegal Gun Ban

By National Rifle Association October 29, 2009

FAIRFAX, VA -- Today, the National Rifle Association filed a complaint in the Superior Court of Washington State against the City of Seattle, asking the court to enjoin and declare invalid a recently enacted parks and recreation administrative policy that prohibits firearms in parks, community...

Opinion:NRA Blasts Washington State's Gun Control Bill

By National Rifle Association January 18, 2010

Last week, NRA-ILA informed you about Senate Bill 6396 , legislation that would bring California-style gun-control to the Northwest and ultimately ban many semi-automatic firearms commonly owned by Washingtonians. In fact, SB 6396 is more far-reaching than it appears on the surface and...

News:Court Uphold Chicago's Handgun Ban

By Freedom States Alliance June 04, 2009

Via the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit upheld the constitutionality of the Chicago and Oak Park handgun bans by a 3-0 decision. The 7th Circuit said that the Supreme Court’s ruling in Heller that stripped D.C. of its handgun ban only...

Opinion:Supreme Court Should Strike Down Chicago's Handgun Ban

By Reason Foundation June 12, 2009

Last year's landmark Supreme Court decision in District of Columbia v. Heller definitively settled the fact that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right—as opposed to a collective one—to keep and bear arms. Yet that ruling applied only to the federal government (which oversees...

Opinion:California Considering Banning BPA in Infant Products

By Natural Resources Defense Council July 13, 2009

By Sarah Janssen Many of my blog posts are about the hormone disrupting chemical, bisphenol A or BPA. This chemical has been in the spotlight quite a bit over the past several years and will be again this week in California when the State considers listing BPA on the "Prop 65" list of...

Research:Sorry Libertarians, Trans Fat Ban Working in New York City

By National Institutes of Health July 22, 2009

When the New York City Health Department mandated that city restaurants change their menus to restrict trans fats, known to be a health hazard, the action was greeted with resistance and grumbling. "There were the usual 'nanny state' comments," said Dr. Lynn Silver, assistant commissioner of the...

Opinion:Throw Out the Ban on Sports Gambling!

By Competitive Enterprise Institute August 05, 2009

Delaware is hitting back at the sports leagues lobbing threats in response to the state’s plan to legalize gambling on sports in the state. Delaware Gov. Jack Markell issued a statement this past week saying sports betting plan will create jobs and help pay for government services.

Opinion:The Next Battle Over Guns in Washington, D.C.

By The Cato Institute September 02, 2009

by Robert A. Levy The Supreme Court, in District of Columbia v. Heller , declared that Washington's 32-year ban on all functional firearms violated the Second Amendment. Justice Antonin Scalia's majority opinion, however, applied only to possession of guns in the home. The court did not...

Opinion:Obamacare Could Be Used to Ban Guns in Home Self-Defense

By Gun Owners of America October 09, 2009

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus has something to say to gun owners: “Own a gun; lose your coverage!” Baucus’ socialized health care bill comes up for a Finance Committee vote on Tuesday. We have waited and waited and waited for the shifty Baucus to release legislative...

Opinion:Why the U.S. Should Not Lift the Travel Ban to Cuba

By Heritage Foundation November 29, 2009

By Kristen Grimsland The U.S. Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing last week on lifting the ban on travel to Cuba, revealing the high discrepancy among congressional members over whether or not restricting Americans from traveling to Cuba will ultimately influence democratic change...

Opinion:FDA Wants to Snuff Out E-Cigarettes

By Competitive Enterprise Institute June 21, 2009

The “smokes” may be different, but the Food and Drug Administration’s ever-vigilant watch to keep us safe from ourselves in its quest to quantify and purge all health risks from society continues. Their latest target? Smokeless cigarettes , or so called “E-cigarettes.” The devices...

Poll:Unmarried Couple Adoption Ban?

By Opposing Views Editorial Staff August 04, 2009

Video:Outrage Over Swiss Vote Banning Muslim Minarets

By Opposing Views Editorial Staff November 30, 2009

A top Swiss official said Monday that voter approval of a ban on minarets next to mosques could be struck down in court. Critics at home and abroad swiftly condemned the vote , saying it undermined the country's secular image. The Associated Press has the story: