The gun ruling was the Supreme Court’s first major decision on the Second Amendment – which enshrines the “right to bear arms” – since 2010, when it established the right to have a gun at home for self-defense.
The latest case was filed by two gun owners and with the support of the National Rifle Association, the largest pro-gun organization in the United States.
It sought to repeal a New York State law, enacted in 1913, that required people to demonstrate the reasons why they should carry a gun in public places and then obtain a permit.
While concealed weapons can already be carried in some Republican-ruled states, others, such as California, Massachusetts and New Jersey, have laws similar to New York’s.
In sentencing, Judge Clarence Thomas wrote that the constitution protects “a person’s right to carry a gun for self-defense outside the home.”
It means that individual states will be prevented from imposing restrictions.
The sentence was an impressive victory for the NRA.