Fifth Circuit Rules the Federal Switchblade Act's Core Ban Is Unconstitutional
The Fifth Circuit held switchblades are protected arms and struck the 1958 law's interstate ban, but left its territories and tribal land rule standing.
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
The cases, the courts and the stories behind the headlines.
Guns & the Law
Self defense, carry laws and what the Second Amendment means in a courtroom.
Massachusetts Voters Decide Next Week Whether to Keep the State's 2024 Gun Law
Question 9 asks voters to keep or repeal Chapter 135, which covers ghost guns, auto conversions and red flag orders. A yes vote keeps it.
Appeals Court Hears Challenge to Illinois Suppressor Ban on Wednesday
The Seventh Circuit hears Anderson v. Raoul on October 28. A judge ruled suppressors are not "arms," just as federal rules on the devices are loosening.
Supreme Court Will Weigh 24 Gun Petitions at Its November 6 Conference
Twenty-one of the firearms cases on the list are federal prosecutions. They reach the justices weeks after the Third Circuit narrowed the felon gun ban.
Castle Doctrine vs. Stand Your Ground, and Why the Difference Matters
Both rules remove the duty to retreat, but one stops at the front door. Here is how the castle doctrine works, where it ends and how Florida writes it into law.
Cook County and Connecticut Defend AR-15 Bans as Supreme Court Arguments Near
With arguments set for December 2, the two governments told the justices that popularity cannot shield a rifle from regulation. The gun owners suing them say the Second Amendment says otherwise.
Carrying a Gun Across State Lines Still Depends on Where You Cross
A national reciprocity bill has waited on the House calendar for a year, and two lawsuits against Denver show how a lawful carrier can become a lawbreaker at a state line.
Supreme Court Leaves in Place a Ruling That Limited the Federal Felon Gun Ban
The justices turned away the government's appeal in the Hembree case, keeping a Fifth Circuit ruling that a drug possession felony was not enough to take away a man's right to own a gun.
Stand Your Ground, Explained by Three Defense Lawyers
How self-defense really works in a Florida murder trial, why carry laws changed and how a group chat can end up in front of a jury.