When is an ‘unlawful user’ of controlled substance prohibited from having a gun?

Published August 26, 2022 12:00am ET



[This piece has been published in Restoring America to consider whether a federal law banning “unlawful users” of controlled substances from owning a firearm violates the Second Amendment.]

Federal law prohibits many people from owning and possessing both firearms and ammunition. This includes convicted felons, illegal aliens, people who’ve been dishonorably discharged from the military, people who’ve been convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence offense, and “unlawful users” of controlled substances. The last one is difficult to define and, taken literally, it could mean anyone who has ever tried any controlled substance even once. An important new petition at the Supreme Court asks the justices to clarify the definition.

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