This landmark Supreme Court case, central to Advanced Placement Government studies, concerned the application of the Second Amendment to state and local governments. The central question before the court was whether the Second Amendment right to bear arms applied to individual states. Prior to this ruling, the Second Amendment had been interpreted primarily as a restriction on the federal government. This case involved a challenge to a Chicago ordinance that effectively banned handgun possession, arguing that it violated individuals’ Second Amendment rights.
The importance of this legal precedent lies in its affirmation of individual rights against potential state infringement. It incorporated the Second Amendment, meaning that states cannot infringe upon the right to bear arms as interpreted under federal standards. This ruling built upon a previous decision regarding federal gun control laws, extending similar protections at the state level and shaping the ongoing debate about gun control regulations across the United States. Its historical context involved a long-standing tension between individual liberties and the power of state governments to regulate public safety.
