SCOTUS Delays Inevitable Second Amendment Showdown Over Bearing Arms in Public

As previously noted here at Reason, the U.S. Supreme Court was recently presented with a pair of Second Amendment cases that raised the question of whether the individual right recognized in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) also applies to keeping and bearing arms for self-defense purposes outside of the home. This morning, the Court disappointed gun rights advocates by announcing it will not review those cases.

Does this mean the Supreme Court has washed its hands of future gun rights rulings? Not at all. In fact, another gun case is virtually inevitable. Just two weeks ago, for example, the U.S Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit issued a major decision striking down a San Diego County restriction on conceal-carry permits as an unconstitutional infringement on the Second Amendment. That case is likely to be appealed up to the high court, as are many others currently in the works. Sooner or later, the Supreme Court will have to reenter the thicket and grapple with the full meaning of the right to keep and bear arms.