By: Kayleigh Hamilton
The gun control lobby just lost in a big way.
And Clarence Thomas had a hand in it.
Now gun owners and Clarence Thomas will both be thrilled after what happened.
Clarence Thomas has been one of the most conservative justices on the Supreme Court for quite some time now, including on the controversial issue of guns and the Second Amendment.
Now that the Court is more conservative, Thomas has been winning more victories than usual, and he has frequently found himself in the majority even on hot-button issues.
This happened yet again as the Court refused to take up a case that would have threatened the ability of young adults to carry firearms publicly.
The state of Minnesota was trying to convince the Court to allow them to ban carrying firearms in public for 18-to-20-year-olds, but the Court said no, something Thomas was surely happy about.
In fact, it is almost certain that Thomas was one of the voices on the Court who did not want to overturn the lower court’s pro-Second Amendment ruling.
And gun owners in Minnesota can breathe a temporary sigh of relief as the Supreme Court has sided with the Second Amendment.
According to NBC News, “The Supreme Court on Monday delivered a blow to Minnesota’s attempt to prevent young adults from obtaining permits to carry firearms in public.
“The court, which frequently backs gun rights, rejected the state’s appeal of a ruling that said a law banning 18-to-20-year-olds from applying for such permits violated the Constitution’s Second Amendment, which protects the right to bear arms.”
This does not end the case forever, and it is still possible that another state could make the same attempt to damage this constitutional freedom.
But if this decision by the Supreme Court is any signal as to their future intentions, it does not appear that they are going to be friendly to those arguments.
The article continues, “Although the court did not issue a ruling in the case, it sends a signal that similar laws, including one at the federal level, could be under threat in the future.
“The high court on Monday also turned away a separate gun case involving a challenge to the University of Michigan’s ban on possessing firearms on campus. That is also an issue that is likely to return to the court.
“The Minnesota law was enacted in 2003, with more than 30 states and the District of Columbia having similar measures. Federal law requires people to be 21 if they buy a handgun from a licensed dealer, although other firearms are available at an earlier age.”
This is perhaps the most friendly Supreme Court in years to the causes of gun owners, and there are millions of people across the country hoping they’ll strike down these laws permanently.
Whether they will take such a bold and decisive action remains to be seen.
But at the very least, it’s clear that this Supreme Court is not going to actively do anything to harm the Second Amendment, which gun owners are grateful for.