The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear challenges to 10 gun-related cases this term, likely denying the majority-conservative court the prospect of reshaping gun regulations for the first time this decade.
Many court watchers, whether for or against gun regulations, expected the court to take a Second Amendment case this term; several firearm-related cases have been circulating at the justices’ weekly conferences. Gun rights supporters hope the conservative majority will strengthen an individual’s rights to own and carry guns.
By declining to take the appeals, the justices leave intact state gun laws in Maryland, Massachusetts and California.
The court dismissed a gun rights case in April challenging a now-repealed New York City law that banned transporting handguns to shooting ranges and second homes outside of city limits. The justices did not rule on the merits of the case, only that the case was moot, and at least four conservative justices signaled the court may take up another firearm-focused case.
It has largely stayed away from ruling on gun regulations over the past decade. In 2008, the court issued the blockbuster District of Columbia v. Heller, which established an individual right to keep a gun in the home for self-defense. Existing prohibitions, such as those preventing felons from owning firearms, were cleared by the court in the Heller decision. It later applied that ruling to the states in the 2010 McDonald v. Chicago decision.
June 30 marks the end of the Supreme Court’s term; it will resume in October.
This is a developing story.
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