Supreme Court Rejects Gun Control Case

The Supreme Court has opted not to hear a case on the right to carry a gun outside the home, Reuters reports. Maryland’s top court upheld a state law requiring a permit to carry a handgun outside of home; the federal justices’ refusal of the case means the state’s decision stands. In 2008, justices ruled that the Second Amendment allowed the use of guns at home for lawful purposes.

The new case centered on a man’s conviction for carrying a gun in Maryland without a permit. Charles Williams was taking a gun from his girlfriend’s house to his own house when a police officer stopped him. He was convicted for carrying the gun without a permit and sentenced to three years in jail plus probation. In his appeal, Williams’ lawyer said the right to carry a gun extended beyond one’s home; a state attorney said state law protected that right but requires a permit. (More gun rights stories.)