Unconstitutional? New NY gun laws to apply retroactively

Glenn took a deeper look at the new gun laws passed in New York this week that are being called "the most restrictive gun control laws in the country". One of the major components of the new law being that magazines are now limited to holding only seven bullets.

"What's interesting about this," Glenn points out, "is that they didn't include police officers. So, there's no loophole for police officers."

"So if your a police officer, you better arrest yourself," he added.

Another detail now being discovered in this legislation is that it's retroactive up to one year. Gun owners are not simply grandfathered into these new laws. Essentially, one year from this week, you would have to get rid of all of the magazines you own that hold over seven bullets. If you don't, you're breaking the law.

So legally purchased items have now become illegal.

"This is unconstitutional," Pat said. "Say what you will about it, but it's flat out unconstitutional."

"Has there ever been a case of where you purchased something, and it's now illegal?" Glenn asked.

The only circumstance Stu could think of where law may have been enacted retroactively was car emissions regulations.

Just in case these regulations apply to you, here are the facts we were able to dig up on retroactive (ex post facto) laws in the United States Constitution.

Clause 3 of Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution states that Congress is prohibited from passing ex post facto laws. The states are prohibited in clause 1 of Article 1, Section 10.

This is one of the relatively few restrictions that the United States Constitution made to both the power of the federal and state governments before the Fourteenth Amendment. The case referred to in the rulings of many of these Supreme Court cases is Calder vs. Bull. In the case Justice Samuel Chase held that prohibition applied only to criminal matters, not civil. Four categories of unconstitutional ex post facto laws were established.

There have been cases where retroactive laws have not been held unconstitutional. These include restrictions on convicted sex offenders and sex offender registration. A domestic violence offender gun ban was held up, where firearm prohibitions were imposed on people who have been convicted of misdemeanor domestic-violence offenses and on subjects of restraining orders. Retroactive taxes are also not considered ex post facto laws.

So, while there does seem to be some disparity around regulations and retroactive law, it would appear that if you don't have a criminal background, laws that make something you own illegal when it was purchased legally are unconstitutional.

And they should be. As Stu points out, responsible, law-abiding gun owners are some of the most serious about gun crime. They want people to abide by the law.

"The most serious people on gun safety, and the people most serious about punishing offenders [of gun crime] are the people that I know in the N.R.A.," Glenn added.

Glenn noted the biggest applause lines he gets when giving speeches at the N.R.A. are when he discusses punishing and stopping offenders of gun crime.

"They're responsible with their guns. They know the meaning of a gun. And yet, they're made to look like the monsters," Glenn said.

The people the laws would target — especially retroactive laws — are not criminals. They're not the people committing gun crimes. They're responsible law-abiding citizens that have followed all of the laws.

Despite the unconstitutionality of the new laws, there's another issue. Nobody knows how many magazines a person has.

"Do you announce what magazines you have? Do you just destroy the magazines that you have?" Glenn asked.

It's hard to believe that responsible gun owners will be reporting and handing over magazines they purchased legally. There is no reason to turn a law-abiding citizen into a criminal or to make them feel like a criminal. Like you'll see in the video below, there are legitimate reasons that both Democrats and Republicans should be able to see eye-to-eye on when it comes to gun-ownership and the rights of law-abiding American citizens.

Glenn's daughter honors Charlie Kirk with emotional tribute song

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On September 17th, Glenn commemorated his late friend Charlie Kirk by hosting The Charlie Kirk Show Podcast, where he celebrated and remembered the life of a remarkable young man.

During the broadcast, Glenn shared an emotional new song performed by his daughter, Cheyenne, who was standing only feet away from Charlie when he was assassinated. The song, titled "We Are One," has been dedicated to Charlie Kirk as a tribute and was written and co-performed by David Osmond, son of Alan Osmond, founding member of The Osmonds.

Glenn first asked David Osmond to write "We Are One" in 2018, as he predicted that dark days were on the horizon, but he never imagined that it would be sung by his daughter in honor of Charlie Kirk. The Lord works in mysterious ways; could there have been a more fitting song to honor such a brave man?

"We Are One" is available for download or listening on Spotify HERE


Has free speech been twisted into a defense of violence?

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Celebrating murder is not speech. It is a revelation of the heart. America must distinguish between debate and the glorification of evil.

Over the weekend, the world mourned the murder of Charlie Kirk. In London, crowds filled the streets, chanting “Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!” and holding up pictures of the fallen conservative giant. Protests in his honor spread as far away as South Korea. This wasn’t just admiration for one man; it was a global acknowledgment that courage and conviction — the kind embodied by Kirk during his lifetime — still matter. But it was also a warning. This is a test for our society, our morality, and our willingness to defend truth.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently delivered a speech that struck at the heart of this crisis. She praised Kirk as a man who welcomed debate, who smiled while defending his ideas, and who faced opposition with respect. That courage is frightening to those who have no arguments. When reason fails, the weapons left are insults, criminalization, and sometimes violence. We see it again today, in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Charlie Kirk’s life was a challenge. His death is a call.

Some professors and public intellectuals have written things that should chill every American soul. They argue that shooting a right-wing figure is somehow less serious than murdering others. They suggest it could be mitigated because of political disagreement. These aren’t careless words — they are a rationalization for murder.

Some will argue that holding such figures accountable is “cancel culture.” They will say that we are silencing debate. They are wrong. Accountability is not cancel culture. A critical difference lies between debating ideas and celebrating death. Debate challenges minds. Celebrating murder abandons humanity. Charlie Kirk’s death draws that line sharply.

History offers us lessons. In France, mobs cheered executions as the guillotine claimed the heads of their enemies — and their own heads soon rolled. Cicero begged his countrymen to reason, yet the mob chose blood over law, and liberty was lost. Charlie Kirk’s assassination reminds us that violence ensues when virtue is abandoned.

We must also distinguish between debates over policy and attacks on life itself. A teacher who argues that children should not undergo gender-transition procedures before adulthood participates in a policy debate. A person who says Charlie Kirk’s death is a victory rejoices in violence. That person has no place shaping minds or guiding children.

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For liberty and virtue

Liberty without virtue is national suicide. The Constitution protects speech — even dangerous ideas — but it cannot shield those who glorify murder. Society has the right to demand virtue from its leaders, educators, and public figures. Charlie Kirk’s life was a challenge. His death is a call. It is a call to defend our children, our communities, and the principles that make America free.

Cancel culture silences debate. But accountability preserves it. A society that distinguishes between debating ideas and celebrating death still has a moral compass. It still has hope. It still has us.

Are Gen Z's socialist sympathies a threat to America's future?

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In a republic forged on the anvil of liberty and self-reliance, where generations have fought to preserve free markets against the siren song of tyranny, Gen Z's alarming embrace of socialism amid housing crises and economic despair has sparked urgent alarm. But in a recent poll, Glenn asked the tough questions: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from—and what does it mean for America's future? Glenn asked, and you answered—hundreds weighed in on this volatile mix of youthful frustration and ideological peril.

The results paint a stark picture of distrust in the system. A whopping 79% of you affirm that Gen Z's socialist sympathies stem from real economic gripes, like sky-high housing costs and a rigged game tilted toward the elite and corporations—defying the argument that it's just youthful naivety. Even more telling, 97% believe this trend arises from a glaring educational void on socialism's bloody historical track record, where failed regimes have crushed freedoms under the boot of big government. And 97% see these poll findings as a harbinger of deepening generational rifts, potentially fueling political chaos and authoritarian overreach if left unchecked.

Your verdict underscores a moral imperative: America's soul hangs on reclaiming timeless values like self-reliance and liberty. This feedback amplifies your concerns, sending a clear message to the powers that be.

Want to make your voice heard? Check out more polls HERE.

Without civic action, America faces collapse

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Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

I slept through high school civics class. I memorized the three branches of government, promptly forgot them, and never thought of that word again. Civics seemed abstract, disconnected from real life. And yet, it is critical to maintaining our republic.

Civics is not a class. It is a responsibility. A set of habits, disciplines, and values that make a country possible. Without it, no country survives.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Civics happens every time you speak freely, worship openly, question your government, serve on a jury, or cast a ballot. It’s not a theory or just another entry in a textbook. It’s action — the acts we perform every day to be a positive force in society.

Many of us recoil at “civic responsibility.” “I pay my taxes. I follow the law. I do my civic duty.” That’s not civics. That’s a scam, in my opinion.

Taking up the torch

The founders knew a republic could never run on autopilot. And yet, that’s exactly what we do now. We assume it will work, then complain when it doesn’t. Meanwhile, the people steering the country are driving it straight into a mountain — and they know it.

Our founders gave us tools: separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, elections. But they also warned us: It won’t work unless we are educated, engaged, and moral.

Are we educated, engaged, and moral? Most Americans cannot even define a republic, never mind “keep one,” as Benjamin Franklin urged us to do after the Constitutional Convention.

We fought and died for the republic. Gaining it was the easy part. Keeping it is hard. And keeping it is done through civics.

Start small and local

In our homes, civics means teaching our children the Constitution, our history, and that liberty is not license — it is the space to do what is right. In our communities, civics means volunteering, showing up, knowing your sheriff, attending school board meetings, and understanding the laws you live under. When necessary, it means challenging them.

How involved are you in your local community? Most people would admit: not really.

Civics is learned in practice. And it starts small. Be honest in your business dealings. Speak respectfully in disagreement. Vote in every election, not just the presidential ones. Model citizenship for your children. Liberty is passed down by teaching and example.

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We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Start with yourself. Study the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and state laws. Study, act, serve, question, and teach. Only then can we hope to save the republic. The next election will not fix us. The nation will rise or fall based on how each of us lives civics every day.

Civics isn’t a class. It’s the way we protect freedom, empower our communities, and pass down liberty to the next generation.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.