A general view of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington December 3, 2013.
Credit: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst
(Reuters) - The
Supreme Court on Monday declined to wade into the politically volatile
issue of gun control by leaving intact three court rulings rejecting
challenges to federal and state laws.
The court's decision not to
hear the cases represented a loss for gun rights advocates, including
the National Rifle Association, which was behind two of the challenges.
The
first case involved a challenge by the NRA to a Texas law that prevents
18-20 year olds from carrying handguns in public. It also raised the
broader question of whether there is a broad right under the Second
Amendment to bear arms in public.
The
second NRA case was a challenge to several federal laws and
regulations, dating back to 1968, that make it illegal for firearms
dealers to sell guns or ammunition to anyone under 21.
The
third case was on the narrow question of whether consumers have the
legal right to challenge laws that regulate the sale of firearms. The
challenge to a federal law that restricts the interstate transport of
guns, and a related Virginia law, were filed by several District of
Columbia residents who wished to obtain guns via neighboring Virginia.
The
court has yet to decide whether there is a right to carry guns in
public, a question left unanswered in its two most recent gun-related
decisions.
In the 2008 District of
Columbia v. Heller case, the court held that the Second Amendment of the
U.S. Constitution guaranteed an individual right to bear arms. Two
years later in McDonald v. City of Chicago, the court held that the
earlier ruling applied to the states.
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by
Howard Goller)