Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment Constitutional "right to keep and bear arms" applies equally to the federal, state and local governments.
The justices gave a narrow 5-4 vote that included five conservative justices in favor of gun rights, and four liberal justices opposed.
The Supreme Court decided two years ago that the Second Amendment protects the right to possess guns for self-defense in the home, but that only applied to federal law.
Monday morning, the high court reviewed gun control laws in Oak Park, Ill, outside Chicago where handguns have been banned for almost 30 years.
“A provision in the Bill of Rights that protects a right that is fundamental from an American perspective applies equally to the federal government and the states,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the court.
The National Rifle Association see’s the ruling as a victory, and they helped four Chicago residents to challenge the city’s gun laws. Chicago was one of the only major cities to still had a gun ban in effect. One of the men who challenged the gun ban was Otis McDonald, 76, who lives in Morgan Park on the city’s South Side, and his home was broken into three times, and he wanted a handgun for protection.
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