Why Brett Kavanaugh Is The Justice Gun Owners Have Been Waiting For

Since the Supreme Court’s Heller v. DC (2008) and McDonald v. Chicago (2010) rulings, gun owners have been waiting for the court to expand on its interpretation of the Second Amendment.

Heller ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual right of the people to keep and bear arms. McDonald overturned a Chicago public housing ban on firearm ownership and affirmed that the Second Amendment’s promise of “shall not be infringed” applies equally to federal, state, and municipal governments. 

However, since those two landmark rulings, the Supreme Court has refused to expand on what the Second Amendment actually protects. Rumor is that both the conservative and liberal wings of the court were unsure of where former justice Anthony Kennedy, whom Kavanaugh replaced, would fall on new gun rights cases. Without knowing how he would vote, neither side apparently wanted to open the door for a case with nationwide implications.