The US government cannot ban people convicted of non-violent crimes from possessing guns, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday.
The 11-4 ruling from the Philadelphia-based 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals is the latest defeat for gun control laws in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling last year expanding gun rights nationwide. The decision stems from a 2020 lawsuit by a Pennsylvania man, Bryan Range, who was barred under federal law from possessing a gun after pleading guilty to welfare fraud. He claimed the prohibition violated his right to bear arms under Second Amendment of the US Constitution.
Federal criminal law generally bars people convicted of crimes punishable by more than a year in prison frompossessing guns. Such crimes are usually felonies, but the law also includes some state misdemeanours, like Range’s.
Last June, the SC ruled that the Second Amendment protects individuals’ right to carry guns in public for self-defence, and that any restrictions on that right must be consistent with the US’ historical tradition of gun regulation.
The 11-4 ruling from the Philadelphia-based 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals is the latest defeat for gun control laws in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling last year expanding gun rights nationwide. The decision stems from a 2020 lawsuit by a Pennsylvania man, Bryan Range, who was barred under federal law from possessing a gun after pleading guilty to welfare fraud. He claimed the prohibition violated his right to bear arms under Second Amendment of the US Constitution.
Federal criminal law generally bars people convicted of crimes punishable by more than a year in prison frompossessing guns. Such crimes are usually felonies, but the law also includes some state misdemeanours, like Range’s.
Last June, the SC ruled that the Second Amendment protects individuals’ right to carry guns in public for self-defence, and that any restrictions on that right must be consistent with the US’ historical tradition of gun regulation.