Commentary

Will Gun Rights Get a Big Boost?

The Supreme Court is poised to make the next big decision on gun rights. Damon Root breaks it down and some broader implications for economic liberty.

In sum, the 14th Amendment was designed to protect an individualistic and market-oriented form of self-ownership, one that includes the right to armed self-defense, the right to private property, the right to liberty of contract, and the right to pursue an honest living free from arbitrary and unnecessary government interference. That’s the libertarian promise of the Privileges or Immunities Clause. And that’s why Tuesday’s arguments in McDonald v. Chicago matter for both gun rights and economic liberty.