(TheProudRepublic.com) – In a move sparking discussion about Second Amendment rights, the Supreme Court upheld a federal law that bans individuals under domestic violence-related restraining orders from having firearms.
In a vote of 8-1 in United States v. Rahimi, with Justice Clarence Thomas dissenting, the Court reversed a previous ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
“Since the founding, our Nation’s firearm laws have included provisions preventing individuals who threaten physical harm to others from misusing firearms,” wrote Chief Justice John Roberts, adding that the federal statute at hand “fits comfortably within this tradition.”
The case centered around Zackey Rahimi, accused of assaulting his girlfriend and threatening her with a gun. She obtained a restraining order that revoked his handgun license and barred him from having firearms.
Rahimi, a suspected drug dealer in Texas, later faced charges for threatening another woman with a gun and firing shots in public on five occasions, including firing into the air at a fast-food restaurant due to a declined credit card.
During a search of the alleged drug dealer’s home after the shootings, authorities found weapons, leading to charges under federal statute § 922(g)(8).
Furthermore, Rahimi challenged the law under the Second Amendment but eventually pleaded guilty after a judge rejected his argument, which resulted in a prison sentence exceeding six years.
The Fifth Circuit initially upheld his conviction but later deemed the federal law unconstitutional based on the Supreme Court’s N.Y. State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n, Inc. v. Bruen decision, which advises courts to consider early American history in evaluating gun rights restrictions.
However, Chief Justice Roberts clarified that recent Second Amendment rulings were not intended to freeze gun laws in historical context, stating, “Otherwise, the Second Amendment would only protect ‘muskets and sabers.’”
“Understanding why and how the regulation restricts the right is crucial,” he added. “If historical laws regulated firearm use to address specific issues, contemporary laws imposing similar restrictions for similar reasons are likely permissible.”
On the contrary, Justice Thomas argued that “not a single historical regulation justifies the statute in question.”
Thomas authored the Bruen decision in 2022, which struck down a New York law imposing extensive limits on carrying guns outside the home.
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