Supreme Court agrees to hear 2nd Amendment case for first time in nearly 10 years

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to review a Second Amendment case for the first time in nearly 10 years, according to SCOTUS blog.

The case involves a New York City law that bans gun owners from transporting their licensed and unloaded guns outside the city limits, including to a second home or a shooting range for target practice.

Lawyers for a group of New York City residents and the New York State Pistol and Rifle Association filed an appeal to the Supreme Court. In court documents, the restrictions for a premises license is described as "draconian" and in violation of the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

The group filed a lawsuit in 2013 that challenged the city's transport limits. Last year, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan rejected the challenge and upheld the regulations. It ruled that the restrictions advanced New York City's interest in protecting public safety, Reuters reported.

What is a premises license?

A premises license is a restricted type of license that is issued for an individual's residence or business.

"The licensee may possess a handgun only on the premises of the address indicated on the front of the license," according to the city's ordinance. "Licensees may also transport their handguns and ammunition in separate locked containers, directly to and from an authorized range or hunting location."

When will the case be heard?

The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the fall, and an opinion likely won't come until spring 2020, SCOTUS blog said.

"The justices' eventual ruling in the case could stick to the relatively narrow question of whether the city's law is constitutional, or it might shed light on a broader and more consequential question: whether the right to have a gun extends outside the home," according to the blog post.

What else?

The Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that the Second Amendment protects a person's right to possess a handgun at home for self-defense.

In 2010, the justices "made clear that this right also applies against state and local governments," the blog post said.

"Since then the Supreme Court has repeatedly declined to say anything more about how far states and cities can go in restricting gun rights, but today it granted a plea to weigh in, this time in a case from New York City," the post said.