High court to take up right to carry gun for self-defense

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal to expand gun rights in the United States in a New York case. AP Photo

WASHINGTON: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal to expand gun rights in the United States in a New York case over the right to carry a firearm in public for self-defense.
The case marks the court’s first foray into gun rights since Justice Amy Coney Barrett came on board in October, making a 6-3 conservative majority.
The justices said Monday they will review a lower-court ruling that upheld New York’s restrictive gun permit law. The court’s action follows mass shootings in recent weeks in Georgia, Colorado and California.
The court had turned down review of the same issue in June, before Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg‘s death.
New York is among eight states that limit who has the right to carry a weapon in public. The others are: California, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island.