NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — In a major expansion of gun rights after a series of mass shootings, the Supreme Court of the United States said Thursday that Americans have a right to carry firearms in public for self-defense, a ruling likely to lead to more people being legally armed.
The court voted 6-3.
With that ruling, Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery said he supported the direction of the ruling.
"I commend the U.S. Supreme Court for recognizing the Constitutional right to bear arms in public for self-defense is not a ‘second-class’ right,” Slatery said. “Law-abiding Tennesseans can be assured they have a right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside their homes.
The case arose in connection to a New York law, requiring people to demonstrate a particular need for carrying a gun in order to get a license to carry a gun in a concealed way in public. Slatery said Tennessee joined an amicus supporting the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association.
The justices said that requirement violates the Second Amendment right to “keep and bear arms.”
