US Supreme Court hears carefully chosen gun case

Significance

The case, which concerns the power of a state to prohibit the carrying of concealed handguns, involves the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, which protects “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms”. The outcome may see the Court restrict state regulatory power in unprecedented ways.

Impacts

• This case could continue a trend begun in 2008 that has broadened the scope and applicability of the Second Amendment protections.
• The Court could adopt an ends-and-means evaluation that would permit greater variability for state restrictions on guns.
• Other interest groups will pursue well-chosen cases before the newly conservative court.