The high court’s case stems from New York City, where residents with a license to own a gun in their home—a “premises” license—are forbidden from carrying their firearm outside city limits, even if it is locked and unloaded, per regulation. Challengers to the law argue it is overly restrictive, saying they should be able to carry their weapon to gun ranges or homes outside the city.
Lower courts upheld the regulation last year. Represented by the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, an affiliate of the National Rifle Association, those challenging are now taking their case to the nation’s highest court.
With President Donald Trump’s appointment of two conservative judges—Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh—the court has a 5-4 conservative majority, meaning rulings are more likely to fall in favor of gun-rights defendants.
The last time the Supreme Court heard a case related to gun rights was in 2008 and 2010 when the justices declared individuals have a right to own a gun for self-defense in their own home, although state and local governments can create regulations.
