The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday to uphold a federal gun law that makes it illegal for those with domestic violence restraining orders to be in possession of a gun.
The justices ruled 8-1 in favor of overturning the New Orleans 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to retract the 1994 law, which was intended to protect victims of domestic violence.
The circuit court, which is said to be among the most conservative in the country, had initially determined that overturning the law would be in line with a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that said gun restrictions had to be consistent with the U.S.'s history of gun regulations. The court broadened gun rights in the 2022 ruling, allowing citizens to carry firearms in public for self-defense.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the court’s opinion, saying that the United States has historically issued gun control laws that make the latest ruling align with that of the 2022 decision.
“Since the founding, our Nation’s firearm laws have included provisions preventing individuals who threaten physical harm to others from misusing firearms,” Roberts wrote.
Roberts referenced historical examples to support this.
“At the founding, the bearing of arms was subject to regulations ranging from rules about firearm storage to restrictions on gun use by drunken New Year’s Eve revelers,” he wrote.
Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, the sole dissenting vote, disagreed, writing, “Not a single historical regulation justifies the statute at issue.”
He continued, “At first glance, these laws targeting ‘dangerous’ persons might appear relevant. Yet, historical context compels the opposite conclusion. The Second Amendment stems from English resistance against ‘dangerous’ person laws.”
The law was challenged by a Texas man, Zackey Rahimi, who was accused of hitting his girlfriend and later threatening to shoot her if she reported the fight between them. In 2021, Rahimi pleaded guilty of illegally possessing multiple guns while there was a restraining order against him. Two of the firearms found in his care were connected to at least five shootings, one of which was located at the home of a man Rahimi sold drugs to.
President Joe Biden, who has made gun reform a main point in his reelection campaign and has previously called for a ban on assault weapons, expressed support for the ruling in a White House statement.
“As a result of today’s ruling, survivors of domestic violence and their families will still be able to count on critical protections, just as they have for the past three decades,” he said.
Some information for this report came from Reuters.
