After a string of consecutive victories at the Supreme Court, Second Amendment advocates suffered their first major setback Friday, failing for the first time since 2008’s landmark decision in D.C. v. Heller to convince the nation’s highest court to strike down a gun control law as unconstitutional.
In an 8-1 opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, and joined by all of the justices except Clarence Thomas, the Supreme Court in United States v. Rahimi upheld the constitutionality of a federal statute (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8)) that prohibits possession of firearms by individuals subject to certain types of restraining orders for domestic violence.
Although the outcome is, in a sense, a victory for the government, it doesn’t necessarily constitute a “defeat” for the Second Amendment.
Here are five things to know about the high court’s most recent Second…
