Are Bumper Stickers Protected Under First Amendment?
First Amendment does protect free speech and in a way your freedom to express your thoughts and views on your vehicles in the form of bumper stickers. However, this is a bit tricky because deciding what is obscene or socially unacceptable is difficult and may lead to a conflict. There have been cases where owners of cars with some obscene stickers or decals have been pulled up by the cops and penalized; however, courts have acquitted them. We can safely say that First Amendment protects you as long as you do not put any material on your vehicle that is offensive, pornographic, or hints at a particular individual or a group of people. This post takes a look at what is First Amendment and tries to figure what is acceptable and what isn’t.
What is the First Amendment?
The first amendment to the constitution of the US states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
So, yes, this does cover bumper stickers; however, certain sections of the society may not accept the content on your sticker. They may have apprehension or grievance about the same. Some rules in certain states may not be able to inhibit a certain message completely. But, cops may ask you to tweak the message to make it more acceptable. Also, there is a law that prohibits blocking the driver’s view. So, you cannot block the rear window and the windshield of your car by pasting anything on it. Stickers are allowed on only a small portion of the entire area.
What Kind of Bumper Stickers Are Acceptable?
This is the most difficult question to answer as it is quite relative to an individual. What may appeal to one person may not appeal to another. So, it is likely that if people find something unacceptable, they will complain or go the legal way. Here, more than social acceptance, what matters is your sense of responsibility and the courage to come out in the open rather than hiding your opinion behind the anonymity of a sticker.
With freedom comes responsibility, and if you have to stick some controversial content on your vehicle then you should be aware that you may be penalized or may have to endure legal consequences. People may feel offended and they may file a police complaint, and you should be open to issue an apology as well, if required.
But, never mind, there are lots of bumper stickers without any vulgar or offensive content that you can opt to paste on your vehicle. There are many wonderful thoughts and ideas you can bring out through bumper stickers.
Are you looking for bumper stickers to stick on your vehicle? If yes, make sure your content does not violate any laws although the US constitution supports free speech. For high-quality bumper stickers or any kind of labels, you may want, ensure you source them from a reliable wholesale label manufacturer and supplier. Performance Label Company (PLC) specializes in providing a variety of pressure-sensitive labels and bumper stickers for personal and commercial uses.
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