At some time later today, in response to a spate of mass shootings across the United States, the Senate will vote on the first major piece of gun control legislation in nearly three decades.
This morning, the Supreme Court sought to make that entire effort close to a moot point.
In a 6-3 decision, authored by Justice Clarence Thomas, the Court not only enshrined a constitutional right to carry guns outside the home for “self-defense,” but has potentially made it far more difficult for states to regulate gun rights. In effect, the Court has placed the Second Amendment in the same rarefied air as the First Amendment. It’s quite likely that many more Americans will die as a result.
