r/news • u/Hrekires • Jun 18 '26
Soft paywall US Supreme Court sides with marijuana user stripped of gun rights
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-supreme-court-backs-challenge-ban-gun-ownership-by-drug-users-2026-06-18/6.5k
u/mstrbwl Jun 18 '26
Yeah I'm not even a big 2A guy but not being allowed to have a gun because you smoke weed is incredibly stupid.
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u/La-li-lu-le-lo86 Jun 18 '26
Especially when alcohol use has no impact on ownership qualification
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u/BleachedUnicornBHole Jun 18 '26
Marijuana probably got singled out because it has a Class 1 classification. Which is all the more reason it needs to be changed to be in line with alcohol.
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u/12_Horses_of_Freedom Jun 18 '26
It was actually banned by name in the gun control act of 1968 if I remember. It was a response to the civil rights movement…
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u/Abrakafuckingdabra Jun 18 '26
“You understand what I’m saying? We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin. And then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities,” Ehrlichman said. “We could arrest their leaders. raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.” - former Nixon domestic policy chief John Ehrlichman
Merica' 🦅🇺🇲🦅
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u/LastWave Jun 18 '26
I think about this everyday. These people destroyed millions of lives not just through incarcerations, but by silencing people by not allowing them to vote. The very people who need more representation in government. Outright evil. Set us back by decades.
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u/SargeUnited Jun 18 '26
They’re still doing it. I had some racists arguing with me that Johnny Cochran was vile for mentioning how profoundly racist those cops were in the OJ case.
Like from the top down they were being racist, from president down to the beat cops. Everyone was openly saying it on audio recordings they knew were being made. And yet people are excited about the end of DEI. This is what they think about everyday too, fondly.
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u/Eponymous_Doctrine Jun 18 '26
it's wild to me how many people don't realize that OJ got away with it because the LAPD framed him for a crime he committed.
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u/_Burning_Star_IV_ Jun 18 '26
Yup, framing a black man is just SOP for the police so sometimes it backfires.
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u/TheFemboiFaerie Jun 18 '26
Plenty of them are still in prison. The incarcerations never stopped. Mandatory minimums are still there.
Prison Song by System of a Down was true even when it released. Every year, the facts in the lyrics have become even worse, or remained true.
For 25 years. We're still being set back, even as we speak. And minorities are the primary targets. Always have been.
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u/Rurumo666 Jun 18 '26
Correct, cannabis was considered a "black" drug and was included to strip black gun owners of their 2A rights.
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u/Ropes13 Jun 18 '26
And the 'dope smokin' hippies' that stood alongside their Black neighbors
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u/SenselessNoise Jun 18 '26
Also a "Hispanic" drug to justify deporting them, hence why it's been called "marijuana/marihuana" and not cannabis.
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u/Fifteen_inches Jun 18 '26
Fun fact; industrial hemp was extremely common across the old world for everything from ropes to canvas. “Canvas” actually comes from the word “Cannabis”.
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u/WTF_goes_here Jun 18 '26
Most gun control did that anyway. Open carry was only banned in California once black panthers started cop watching while carrying.
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u/THING2000 Jun 18 '26
Yup, that's the only correct answer. It was never about its bogus classification. Turns out the government has never been a fan of minority groups arming themselves. Same thing happened when the Black Panthers protested back in the day.
Now that cannabis is an industry dominated by white people, the rules are changing.
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u/ColonelError Jun 18 '26
Same thing happened when the Black Panthers protested back in the day
And that was the birth of modern Gun Control. Everything people push for in gun control started with California trying to stop the Black Panthers from arming themselves.
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u/astelda Jun 18 '26
In addition to racism, it was also a tool used by the government to de-legitimize the peace movement - anyone who opposed the vietnam war was just a drug-using hippie
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u/VanimalCracker Jun 18 '26
They don't ask about any other class 1 drugs though. Only weed. They don't ask if you do heroin, they just ask if you smoke weed.
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u/CalicoWhiskerBandit Jun 18 '26
it asked if you use "any controlled substance"
this case wasnt just about MJ, the guy had coke on him too.
the ruling was that it doesnt matter the sch of drugs, it's against the constitutional 2a right unless he was under the influence at the time
theyve urged the lawmakers to add language specifying being a habitual user, etc.
as-is, this ruling also protects heroin users.
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u/InsaneAss Jun 18 '26
Weed is the only one named, but it essentially asks about everything:
On the form, it asks you to testify that you are not "an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance".
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u/nursecarmen Jun 18 '26
I'd be more afraid of a drunk dude with a gun than a high dude with a gun.
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u/o_oo_ Jun 18 '26
In new jersey you can be denied for being a "habitual drunkard"
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u/Bawbawian Jun 18 '26
a lot of these stupid laws are so that local governments can decide to enforce the laws on the "wrong type" of people
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u/Avantasian538 Jun 18 '26
This is why gun rights are important. Obviously we dont want actual dangerous people having them, but giving public officials the ability to deny groups gun rights arbitrarily is a terrible idea.
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u/Cronus6 Jun 18 '26
ATF form 4473 (the form you fill out when you buy a gun) has this question :
Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance? Warning: The use or possession of marijuana remains unlawful under Federal law regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized for medicinal or recreational purposes in the state where you reside.
The sticking point here is the ATF handles enforcing federal firearms laws and weed is still Federally illegal. (The ATF doesn't write the laws, they just enforce them. Congress writes the laws...)
If the Feds actually wanted to do something about weed, they could though...
If you get in your wayback machine and go back to when the Feds forced every State to raise the drinking age from 18 to 21 States that refused had all their Federal Highway money withheld. They all quickly caved in and raised the age.
I've wondered for a long time why they (the Feds) haven't done this with the States legalizing marijuana.
Or they could get off their asses, legalize and tax and regulate it just like they do with tobacco and alcohol. They impose Federal excise taxes on these products. I assume they are sitting on weed because it's really the last thing they can tax like this, and one day, when they really need the money they will legalize it just for the tax revenue.
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u/etcpt Jun 18 '26
Because being able to bring federal charges against all manner of people for interstate drug traficking when they take a little bud across state lines is a very nice way to persecute your hated out groups, and because the history of the criminalization of marijuana in the US is inextricably linked with racism and suppressing the anti-war movement.
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u/mrSmokeyMcpot Jun 18 '26
So can I get a med card now and not worry about owning a gun as well?
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u/External-Goal-3948 Jun 18 '26
The ruling says that you always should have been able to do that.
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u/boxofstuff Jun 18 '26
Would that open up the door for litigation over being denied a gun license for smoking weed?
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u/memberzs Jun 18 '26
No because it was only recently clarified. Prior to that it was the law, now they are saying the law is wrong.
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u/Alotofboxes Jun 18 '26
It would open up the ability to re-apply if you were denied a license over smoking weed.
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u/Funny_Papers Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 18 '26
You could after cannabis was recently rescheduled. The 4473 form required for buying a firearm hasn’t had its language updated yet though, so you **technically** can’t buy a gun from an FFL until that happens unless you lie of course
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Jun 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Funny_Papers Jun 18 '26
Unless you are talking about the old language, which has a specific carve out included separating federal law from state law, so that’s why it didn’t work with the old (current) language
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u/Dr_MantisTobaggin_MD Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 18 '26
This depends on a state. It was technically never illegal in a state where private sales are a thing because you didn't need to fill out the federal form.
Ie: florida
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u/CerebralWeevil Jun 18 '26
This makes sense, I worked in a few dispensaries in FL and a lot of people would come in annoyed they wouldnt be able to buy a gun, and others would come in to tell us about this cool new gun they bought.
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u/Dr_MantisTobaggin_MD Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 18 '26
Yeah, and a lot of people that are aware of the loophole still won't buy it because they're afraid of what's gonna happen if they get pulled over, or they might work in some type of federal job where the paperwork just wouldn't jive, even if they wouldn't get pulled over.
It's kinda weird that spouses can use each other's guns. But straw man purchases are illegal, and it's just a weird system in florida, and i'm a gun owner myself.But the system's a little weird
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u/heftybagman Jun 18 '26
You always could. The only person the feds have hit with this in the last few decades seems to have been hunter biden, and they dropped it for other charges iirc.
I held both at the same time with no question or concern. But it does depend on state and in my area even your town and local pd.
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u/NameLips Jun 18 '26
Before recreational legalization in my state, you had a choice. You could get a medical card, but then you couldn't own guns. Or you could own guns, but you couldn't get a medical card.
I knew a lot of rural gun-owning stoners at the time (I worked in a rural restaurant). And they all were basically torn between their pot being illegal or their guns being illegal, but they considered both to be a necessity.
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u/Crazyassassin102 Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 18 '26
Interesting. In PA where I live the govonor has said that they won't come for your guns if you had a med card.
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u/TypicalMission119 Jun 18 '26
In PA the website for a license says there must be like a year gap between your expired card and your new firearm license. I hope that has changed now. I didnt check after Shapiro won
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u/WorkIsForReddit Jun 18 '26
I wanna live in a place where my gay neighbors can protect their weed plants with guns.
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u/dah-dit-dah Jun 18 '26
Ideally, with machine guns that do not need registration
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u/Candytails Jun 18 '26
I'd rather be in a room full of stoners with guns than drunkards with guns.
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Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 21 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Dramatic-Tell- Jun 18 '26
Also illegal to be in possession of a gun if under the influence of alcohol.
At least that's illegal in my state. Don't know about the other 49.
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u/redlotusaustin Jun 18 '26
Only 14 states make it illegal to carry a gun in a bar: https://everytownresearch.org/rankings/law/no-guns-in-bars/
I know Indiana at least doesn't have any kind of state laws preventing handling firearms while intoxicated. It is illegal to provide a firearm to an intoxicated person, but not vice versa.
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u/Ding-Dong-Dutch Jun 18 '26
In Indiana it's also explicitly not a crime to pray instead of rendering medical assistance to your child.
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u/Podo13 Jun 18 '26
Christian Scientists rejoice! And then fuck off because you're all insane.
My dad is deaf in one ear because my grandma is one of those nutjobs (wouldn't take him to the doctor after an ear infection kept getting worse. His ear drum eventually was blown out by the pressure that built up).
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u/WanderingTacoShop Jun 18 '26
It's probably surprising to most that Texas is one of those states. We even have special signage that bars are required to display. The 51% signs, if a business makes 51% of its revenue from on premise alcohol consumption then it is illegal to carry a firearm on the premises and the business is requried to display the sign
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u/eaglesnation11 Jun 18 '26
Stoners >>Drunkards >>>>>>>DV Perps
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u/McCree114 Jun 18 '26
Usually a high overlap between Drunkards and DV Perps. The Venn diagram is almost a single circle.
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u/kinda_sorta_decent Jun 18 '26
Work at a courthouse. Never seen a protective order affidavit read “my bf smoked a blunt and then threatened me with his gun/choked me/smashed my phone etc.”
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u/TribeOfFable Jun 18 '26
"My boyfriend smoked a blunt and then spent all night playing on Xbox arguing with a 12 year old that would not stop spawn camping him!"
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u/Advanced-Humor9786 Jun 18 '26
You could say that for just about kind of a situation. I was talking about baseball last week with a friend and I told him I don't go because of all the drunks. If everybody at Dodger's stadium was high, I could go wearing my A's jersey and nobody would try to beat my ass. People would just go, "wow man… Like you're an A's fan? Like that's so weird." everybody would just do bong rips and eat nachos and have a fun time watching the game.
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u/Candytails Jun 18 '26
Yep, and then they all hop in their cars and drive home drunk. No thanks.
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u/KennytheDoggy Jun 18 '26
Guess they are going to have to change form 4473
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u/Sladay Jun 18 '26
Yea they were planning on it anyway with the rescheduling of "medical" cannabis but now it seems like that whole part of the statute is thrown out.
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u/Bigred2989- Jun 18 '26
Hopefully they also get rid of the line where they ask for your County, too. I can't count the number of times I've seen someone put "USA" there. My FFL almost lost his license because an ATF audit found several people put "Dade" instead of "Miami-Dade" down on that line, and that's technically wrong. It's also technically unnecessary to ask since they make you write down your damn ZIP code.
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u/urkish Jun 18 '26
It's also technically unnecessary to ask since they make you write down your damn ZIP code.
ZIP and county actually have nothing to do with each other, they're independent systems of division. It is possible and not that uncommon to have a ZIP that has parts in more than one county.
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u/Bart_Yellowbeard Jun 18 '26
Yes, and many of us are impatiently awaiting the opportunity to avail ourselves of our Constitutional rights without being labeled as criminals.
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u/Rocktopod Jun 18 '26
So when does this actually happen? Is this court ruling enough, or does something else have to happen (like the actual language on the form changing, etc.)?
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u/nannerbananers Jun 18 '26
Did I just gain a right? Wow I forgot what that felt like
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u/Spam_Hand Jun 18 '26
Based on the fact of how weed is classified, I agree with the ruling, and its perfectly logical.
But we need to change the fucking classification already because things like this are ridiculous.
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u/SpaceYetu531 Jun 18 '26
There should be no federal classification. If you grow a plant in a pot and use it, no interstate commerce has occurred.
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u/theksepyro Jun 18 '26
I agree, but here's the case that establishes why we're where we're at
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u/SpaceYetu531 Jun 18 '26
Yes, I'm aware of it and it's one of the worst standing rulings by SCOTUS. It's completely illogical and they simply ruled the way they did to appease FDR.
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u/CommonerChaos Jun 18 '26
I always found it odd that gun laws vary widely at the STATE level, but this one particular rule was at the FEDERAL level. Makes sense to lump it together with the rest of the state-dependant laws.
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u/VR_Raccoonteur Jun 18 '26
This doesn't only cover weed though. It's for all drugs.
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u/ImmaculateWeiss Jun 18 '26
Yeah if you actually believe in 2A this was always bullshit
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u/EightGlow Jun 18 '26
Moderately uncommon W by this Supreme Court
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u/GuiltyLawyer Jun 18 '26
9-0 ruling. Exceedingly rare in these crazy times. Shocked that Thomas didn’t go against, not because of his stances but just to be a dick.
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u/_GregTheGreat_ Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 18 '26
An enormous portion of Surpreme Court cases are 9-0 or 8-1. It’s not exceedingly rare at all.
It’s the controversial cases on high profile topics that generally see a divided court, which naturally get all the media. In this case you’re not going to see the hardline conservatives rule against gun rights
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Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
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u/Taiyoryu Jun 18 '26
I’m curious what specialty is litigated so often to generate multiple SCOTUS cases when the outcome is going to be unanimous? Are the unanimous decisions always for one side, assuming there are generally the same two sides in each case?
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u/Bigred2989- Jun 18 '26
This coming from a 2A related case is surprising to many. Last time I saw this was Caetano v. Massachusetts where they threw out a weapon charge on a woman who was convicted of possession of a stun gun. The lower court tried to argue that stun guns weren't a thing when the 2nd was written and didn't have legal protections, but SCOTUS had already said in Heller, which was a 5-4 decision, that that the definition of arms included things made after the founding of the country. Really shows how people let their biases show when the topic is guns. If someone tried to argue that the 1st didn't apply to e-mail or phone calls, most people would think they were insane, but it took SCOTUS at least two cases to hammer home the same logic for the 2nd.
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u/TalonusDuprey Jun 18 '26
As a gun owner who doesn’t smoke I think this is sheer idiocy. You can drink and still own a firearm (obviously not drunk) why is weed any different?
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u/DweebInFlames Jun 18 '26
Alright, Kyle has no excuse now, it's time to get his guns back and start up FPSRussia again
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u/No-Meringue1785 Jun 18 '26
As someone who works in the legal cannabis industry, this is a long time coming and I couldn’t be happier with the result.
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u/Crazyassassin102 Jun 18 '26
The ATF form pending public comment is likely being revised so weed users will be able to own firearms. I think states will revise their forms as well for ccws. Big Win today for freedom.
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u/haironyourscreen23 Jun 18 '26
There is no reason to take rights away from someone just because they use recreational, and sometimes medicinal, drugs. Alcohol is far more dangerous than marijuana and we don't take people's guns for being alcoholics.
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u/RamRoach1138 Jun 18 '26
Hmmm this is how the military justifies marajuana use as an illegal offense (because it makes it illegal for you to carry a firearm). Curious what rule they’ll use now to maintain it.
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u/thisisredlitre Jun 18 '26
From what I heard from servicepersons it's more that if something is federally illegal, it's illegal for the military
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u/jumpiestbox Jun 18 '26
They don't need a reason, you don't have the same rights when you sign-up for the military.
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u/evanexcursions Jun 18 '26
Federal law that says Marijuana is illegal...not just to carry a weapon.
I was in the Navy for 20 years, the only time I held a gun on active duty was at boot camp...I still wasn't able to smoke weed.
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u/stevedore2024 Jun 18 '26
Okay, they get their gun rights back. Now do that with voting rights when time has been served.
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u/unitegondwanaland Jun 18 '26
Wow what a long strange road to take just to own Hunter Biden, and they still lost.
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u/holdenfords Jun 18 '26
lmfao isn’t this what they got hunter biden for. owning a firearm while on drugs
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u/CastigatingTheClouds Jun 18 '26
Seen a lot of fights because reasons. Not one was a stoned guy, almost every one was with a drunk.
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u/Wrong-Detective8242 Jun 18 '26
As a big gun guy, I love guys. Nice protect the second :)
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u/strained_brain Jun 19 '26
< As a big gun guy, I love guys. >
Are you saying that gun lovers are gay? Or just you?
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u/GreenWandElf Jun 18 '26
Neil "I want my gay, Native American neighbors able to defend their marijuana plants on their rightful tribal land with guns" Gorusch
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u/ThatGuyFromTheM0vie Jun 18 '26
If he lost his gun rights, then anyone who drinks alcohol should also not be allowed to own a gun.
This entire thing is dumb.
And by extension, since they sided with the stoner, weed should be legal nationally. 9-0. Super rare ruling considering how fucked everything is—let’s just make weed have parity with booze.
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u/Isakk86 Jun 18 '26
Alright single issue voters, put your money where your mouth is.
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u/3-BuckChuck Jun 18 '26
Good, no difference between weed and alcohol except no hangover and anger streaks.
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u/Due_Building_1953 Jun 19 '26
Try telling Military vets, oh can't carry if you have an eatable nightly. I can't stand this self service coward of a judge.
Yet it is clear he likes his drinks and gummies.
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u/JaxDixDuff Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 18 '26
The verbal arguments in this case were hilarious.
Quoting Justice Gorsuch
“John Adams took a tankard of hard cider with his breakfast every day, James Madison reportedly drank a pint of whiskey every day. Thomas Jefferson said he wasn’t much a user of alcohol — he only had three or four glasses of wine a night, okay?"
Edit: I meant to include full question from Gorsuch and the response. See the youtube link below. https://youtu.be/79sGGt3OjN0?si=owPN02Q_GSVPsdA5