{"id":2615634,"date":"2026-06-18T12:15:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T16:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-rules-gun-restriction-on-unlawful-drug-users-to-be-inconsistent-with-second-amendment\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T12:18:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T16:18:07","slug":"scotus-rules-gun-restriction-on-unlawful-drug-users-to-be-inconsistent-with-second-amendment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-rules-gun-restriction-on-unlawful-drug-users-to-be-inconsistent-with-second-amendment\/","title":{"rendered":"SCOTUS Rules Gun Restriction On Unlawful Drug Users Is Illegal"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fscotus-rules-gun-restriction-on-unlawful-drug-users-to-be-inconsistent-with-second-amendment%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2615634&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >federal law restricting gun possession<\/a> for individuals who are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gun-rights-advocates-want-feds-to-look-at-prosecuting-hunter-biden\/\" title=\"Gun-Rights Advocates Want Feds to Look at Prosecuting Hunter Biden\">unlawful drug users<\/a>, specifically those addicted to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-president-trump-gives-pardons-to-73-individuals-and-commutes-another-70-sentences-steve-bannon-is-included\/\" title=\"BREAKING: President Trump Gives Pardons to 73 ... and Commutes Another 70 Sentences \u2013 Steve Bannon Is Included\">controlled substances<\/a> like marijuana, violates the Second Amendment. The case, U.S.v. Hemani, involved the prosecution of Ali Hemani, who admitted to being a regular marijuana user and was charged under law that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gun-restriction-at-the-heart-of-hunter-biden-indictment-takes-center-stage-at-scotus\/\" title=\"SCOTUS Weighs Gun Restriction Central To Hunter Biden ...\">prohibits firearm possession<\/a> for &#8220;unlawful users&#8221; of controlled substances. Justice Neil Gorsuch emphasized that broad disqualifications based solely on drug use are incompatible with Second Amendment protections, criticizing the government&#8217;s attempt to draw parallels with ancient laws targeting different groups. Justice Clarence Thomas voiced concerns about Congress&#8217;s constitutional powers, while justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor expressed continued disagreement with previous rulings on carrying firearms for self-defense. Justice Samuel Alito concurred in the judgment, noting that the statute&#8217;s application to marijuana users is unwarranted. The ruling limits the government&#8217;s authority to disarm individuals solely based on habitual drug use, reinforcing the constitutional right to bear arms.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:SIG-Sauer_P239_Sitting_on_Table.jpg\">Noah Wulf\/Wikimedia Commons\/<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/deed.en\">CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/18\/scotus-rules-gun-restriction-on-unlawful-drug-users-to-be-inconsistent-with-second-amendment\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=SCOTUS Rules Gun Restriction On Unlawful Drug Users To Be \u2018Inconsistent\u2019 With Second Amendment&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/18\/scotus-rules-gun-restriction-on-unlawful-drug-users-to-be-inconsistent-with-second-amendment\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=SCOTUS Rules Gun Restriction On Unlawful Drug Users To Be \u2018Inconsistent\u2019 With Second Amendment&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/18\/scotus-rules-gun-restriction-on-unlawful-drug-users-to-be-inconsistent-with-second-amendment\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/18\/scotus-rules-gun-restriction-on-unlawful-drug-users-to-be-inconsistent-with-second-amendment\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=SCOTUS Rules Gun Restriction On Unlawful Drug Users To Be \u2018Inconsistent\u2019 With Second Amendment&#038;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/18\/scotus-rules-gun-restriction-on-unlawful-drug-users-to-be-inconsistent-with-second-amendment\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>The U.S. Supreme Court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/25pdf\/24-1234_g2bh.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unanimously held<\/a> on Thursday that the federal government\u2019s use of a federal law restricting gun possession for certain unlawful drug users to be \u201cinconsistent with the Second Amendment.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Second Amendment protects the right of \u2018all Americans\u2019 to keep and bear firearms for self defense,\u201d the court\u2019s \u201cnarrow\u201d ruling reads. \u201cAffording the government \u2018broad power to designate any group as dangerous and thereby disqualify its members from having a gun\u2019 would risk allowing it to \u2018quickly swallow\u2019 the Second Amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3866379789\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Known as <em>U.S. v. Hemani<\/em>, the case <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/03\/gun-restriction-at-the-heart-of-hunter-biden-indictment-takes-center-stage-at-scotus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">centers around<\/a> the government\u2019s prosecution of Ali Hemani, a Texas resident who was charged under a provision (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/uscode\/text\/18\/922\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">18 U.S. Code \u00a7 922(g)(3)<\/a>) of the 1968 Gun Control Act that prohibits a person who is \u201can unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance\u201d from possessing a firearm. Hemani is admittedly a regular marijuana user. <\/p>\n<p>The statute was <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/03\/gun-restriction-at-the-heart-of-hunter-biden-indictment-takes-center-stage-at-scotus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">previously used<\/a> to indict Hunter Biden several years ago. <\/p>\n<p>Writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch noted how the government sought to use the statute to \u201cautomatically strip\u201d Hemani of his Second Amendment rights \u201cbecause he uses marijuana a few times a week.\u201d In seeking to advance this \u201cexpansive theory,\u201d the administration urged the court to \u201cdraw an analogy between its present regulation and historical laws addressing habitual drunkards,\u201d which it argued \u201cdemonstrate a tradition of firearm regulation consistent with its effort to disarm any regular user of any controlled substance without any further showing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut the government\u2019s analogy fails under every measure it asks us to consider,\u201d Gorsuch wrote. \u201cThe historical laws on which it relies targeted different kinds of people, did so for different reasons, and operated in different ways. And faced with all these shortcomings in the government\u2019s submission, we cannot say it has carried its conceded burden of showing its prosecution of Mr. Hemani complies with the Second Amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While joining the court\u2019s opinion in full, Justice Clarence Thomas authored a concurrence in which he argued that the contested statute \u201cappears to exceed Congress\u2019s enumerated power to regulate interstate commerce.\u201d \u201cCongress\u2019s enumerated powers, like Supreme Court opinions setting forth their limits, are, in my view, to be taken seriously,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson also authored a concurring opinion, in which Justice Sonia Sotomayor joined. The two Democrat appointees expressed agreement with the court\u2019s conclusion but noted their continued dissatisfaction with the court\u2019s 2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oyez.org\/cases\/2021\/20-843\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Bruen<\/em> decision<\/a>, which recognized Americans\u2019 constitutional right to carry firearms in public for purposes of self-defense. <\/p>\n<p>Justice Samuel Alito penned an opinion (joined by Justice Elena Kagan) concurring in the court\u2019s judgement, in which he said that he would \u201caffirm on a different ground from those on which the majority relies.\u201d He and Kagan more specifically noted that \u201cthe Government\u2019s analogues are too far afield to justify the application of \u00a7922(g) to a marijuana user like respondent,\u201d and that \u201cWe need not say more to decide this case.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/controlled-substances\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">controlled substances<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/controlled-substances-act\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Controlled Substances Act<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/drug-use\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">drug use<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/gun-restrictions\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">gun restrictions<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/gun-rights\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Gun Rights<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/neil-gorsuch\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Neil Gorsuch<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/scotus\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">SCOTUS<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/second-amendment\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Second Amendment<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Supreme Court<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/u-s-v-hemani\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">U.S. v. Hemani<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Supreme Court rules against gun ban for drug users<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2615635,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Guns.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[36747,52020,32209,32275],"class_list":["post-2615634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-drug-policy","tag-gun-rights-2","tag-second-amendment","tag-supreme-court"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Guns.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2615634"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615634\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2615638,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615634\/revisions\/2615638"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2615635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2615634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2615634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2615634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}