Supreme Court poised to hear first major gun case in a decade

The Supreme Court on Monday will hear arguments in a potentially landmark Second Amendment case, the first time in roughly a decade that the justices will consider gun rights.

At issue is a New York City handgun regulation that put tight limits on licensed gun owners' ability to transport firearms outside the home. The case presents the justices an opportunity to go further than ever before in defining the scope of the individual right to bear arms.

“The big question is whether the conservative justices want to use this case — which features an arguably extreme and silly form of gun control — as a vehicle for expanding Second Amendment rights and further constricting governmental options for meaningful gun control,” said Carl Bogus, a law professor and Second Amendment expert at Roger Williams University.

This latest chapter in the nation’s long-running debate over Second Amendment rights has drawn in familiar interest groups. It has also intensified the political fight over the high court's future, with Senate Democrats warning about a rightward shift under President Trump.