SCOTUS Upholds Law Barring Gun Ownership For Domestic Abusers

The Supreme Court upheld a law that prohibits domestic abusers from possessing or owning guns, rejecting the contention of gun rights advocates that the law violates the Second Amendment.

The decision was almost unanimously approved, with an 8-1 vote in favor of upholding the federal law. This decision comes amid a turbulent political debate concerning firearms, creating a challenging environment for passing new gun laws. State and federal laws prohibiting gun ownership have faced increasing scrutiny from the courts.

The high court's decision could support similar gun regulations, which have been questioned in courts since the court expanded gun rights in 2022. This previous ruling led to confusion among lower court judges handling Second Amendment lawsuits.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, emphasizing that traditionally, gun regulations have allowed the U.S. government to disarm individuals who present a credible threat to others.

"Our tradition of firearm regulation allows the government to disarm individuals who present a credible threat to the physical safety of others," he wrote.

Steve Vladeck, CNN's Supreme Court analyst, commented that the ruling "leaves intact a specific federal criminal prohibition on gun possession by those subject to domestic violence-related restraining orders." He also noted that more federal and state gun regulations have come under scrutiny since the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling on the Bruen case. Vladeck added that more difficult cases, such as those questioning whether Congress can prohibit all drug offenders or all felons from possessing guns, are likely to arise.

Justice Clarence Thomas, who wrote the notable decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, filed a lone dissent in the recent decision.

"The Court and Government do not point to a single historical law revoking a citizen's Second Amendment right based on possible interpersonal violence," Thomas wrote in his dissent.

"Yet, in the interest of ensuring the Government can regulate one subset of society, today's decision puts at risk the Second Amendment rights of many more," he added.

CBS News reported that the recent ruling was welcomed by President Joe Biden and gun violence prevention groups.