Government & PolicyBreakingUpdated 6 days ago

Appeals court limits federal felon gun ban to violent and threat-based convictions

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, all right-leaning.

6 articles in total, 3 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Image via ReasonHow images are chosen Report this image

Fox News, Reason, Townhall and RedState report that the full Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the federal law barring felons from owning guns can be applied to people whose prior convictions involved violence or threats. The outlets say the court held the law cannot be applied to Edward Williams, whose conviction stemmed from a DUI. Townhall, citing Reuters, says the court issued two decisions on Tuesday. Reason's opinion pieces argue that Second Amendment rights are not forfeited by a past drunk driving conviction, and RedState says the federal government spent nine years trying to keep Williams disarmed.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

New to Mantle? It shows who is covering each story across the political spectrum, and highlights loaded words. How to read a storyHide the guide

The coverage spectrum counts the outlets covering a story at each of five points. A short or missing segment means that part of the spectrum is mostly quiet.

Governor Loaded verb“slams”It adds drama to what was said. The governor criticized the lawmakers; “slams” makes it sound like a fight.More neutral: criticizes lawmakers over budget delay

Highlights mark words that carry a judgement. Tap one to see why, and what a neutral writer would say. Here it is “criticizes”.

The 5-point spectrum

Far Left
Voices that strongly advocate for progressive policies and systemic change.
Left
Mainstream liberal perspectives focusing on social equality and regulation.
Center
Sources that prioritize neutral reporting and balanced viewpoints.
Right
Mainstream conservative perspectives focusing on market freedom and tradition.
Far Right
Voices that strongly advocate for conservative values and limited government.

How we measure bias

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

The full Third Circuit ruled that the federal felon gun ban can be applied to people with prior convictions for violence or threats.
One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
Right
Reason
Far Right
Townhall, Fox News
The court ruled the ban cannot be applied to Edward Williams, whose conviction stemmed from a DUI.
One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
Right
Reason
Far Right
Fox News, Townhall
The rulings came in two cases, Williams v. Attorney General and U.S. v. Bost.
One outletReason· Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

All four outlets report that the Third Circuit ruled the federal felon gun ban applies to violent offenders but not to Edward Williams, whose conviction stemmed from a DUI. Right-side coverage presents the ruling as a win for gun rights, with Townhall and RedState the sharpest in wording.

the left
No coverage yet
No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
the center
No coverage yet
No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
the right
3 outlets · 1 opinion
Right-side headlines present the ruling as a win for gun rights against federal restrictions; Far Right Townhall and RedState are sharpest, while Fox News states the holding plainly.
Appeals Court Loaded verb“Obliterates”Describes a limited ruling as the total destruction of a law, which the ruling does not say.More neutral: LimitsDisagree with this highlight? Absolutist framing“Unconstitutional Federal Gun Ban”Calls the whole law unconstitutional, while the ruling covers only some convictions.More neutral: Federal Felon Gun BanDisagree with this highlight?
TownhallFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

Left
Has not covered this story.
Center
Has not covered this story.
Right2
ObliteratesUnconstitutional Federal Gun Ban

In the outlets’ own words

Loaded verb
ObliteratesMore neutral: Limits
Describes a limited ruling as the total destruction of a law, which the ruling does not say.
Appeals Court Obliterates Unconstitutional Federal Gun Ban
Used byTownhall (Far Right)
Absolutist framing
Unconstitutional Federal Gun BanMore neutral: Federal Felon Gun Ban
Calls the whole law unconstitutional, while the ruling covers only some convictions.
Appeals Court Obliterates Unconstitutional Federal Gun Ban
Used byTownhall (Far Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

0 outlets

No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

3 outlets · 1 opinion

Leads with

Gun rights for people with nonviolent convictions
Limits on the federal felon gun ban
Court ruling against the federal government

See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

TownhallFar Right
Appeals Court Loaded verb“Obliterates”Describes a limited ruling as the total destruction of a law, which the ruling does not say.More neutral: LimitsDisagree with this highlight? Absolutist framing“Unconstitutional Federal Gun Ban”Calls the whole law unconstitutional, while the ruling covers only some convictions.More neutral: Federal Felon Gun BanDisagree with this highlight?
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling limiting whether the federal government can bar all felons from owning firearms.
6 days agoRead at Townhall (opens in a new tab)
ReasonRight
The 3rd Circuit Upholds the Gun Rights of a Man Who Committed a Nonviolent Misdemeanor 2 Decades Ago
The appeals court said it was unconstitutional to permanently disarm Edward Williams based on a 2005 DUI conviction.
6 days agoRead at Reason (opens in a new tab)
2 more from Reason
- Second Amendment Rights Forfeited by Past Terroristic Threats ConvictionOpinion
- Second Amendment Rights Not Forfeited by Past Drunk Driving ConvictionOpinion
Fox NewsFar Right
Federal appeals court rules some nonviolent felons can legally own guns
The Third Circuit ruled a federal felon gun ban applies to violent offenders but not a man whose conviction stemmed from a DUI in the early 2000s.
Oct 14, 2026Read at Fox News (opens in a new tab)
RedStateFar RightOpinion
Federal Court Draws a Line on Gun Rights, and DOJ May Not Like Where It Lands
The federal government spent nine years trying to keep a Pennsylvania man disarmed over a decades-old DUI. A federal court just told the government it doesn't have that right.
6 days agoRead at RedState (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

Left
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Center
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Right
First to report
Fox News, Oct 14, 3:42 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order

Fox NewsFar RightOct 14, 3:42 AM EDT
ReasonRightOct 15, 9:50 AM EDT
TownhallFar RightOct 15, 10:00 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Appeals court limits federal felon gun ban to violent and threat-based convictions

Coverage spectrum

Key points

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

In the outlets’ own words

Side by side

From the left

From the center

From the right

The 3rd Circuit Upholds the Gun Rights of a Man Who Committed a Nonviolent Misdemeanor 2 Decades Ago

Federal appeals court rules some nonviolent felons can legally own guns

Federal Court Draws a Line on Gun Rights, and DOJ May Not Like Where It Lands

How the coverage built up

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