US top court snubs challenge to California gun waiting period

February 20, 2018 22:52

In a blow to gun rights activists, the US Supreme Court on Tuesday turned away a challenge to Californias 10-day waiting period for firearms purchases that is intended to guard against impulsive violence and suicides.

The courts action underscored its continued reluctance to step into a national debate over gun control roiled by a series of mass shootings including one at a Florida school last week.

One of the courts staunchest conservatives, Justice Clarence Thomas, dissented from the decision to reject the case and accused his colleagues of showing contempt toward constitutional protections for gun rights.

The justices also declined to take up a separate gun case involving a National Rifle Association challenge to Californias refusal to lower fees on firearms sales and instead use some of the fee money to track down weapons owned illegally.

The gun rights groups and individual gun owners who challenged the waiting period had argued that it violated their right to keep and bear arms under the US Constitutions Second Amendment. The challengers did not seek to invalidate the waiting period for everyone, just those who already owned guns and passed a background check.

The US Supreme Court has not taken up a major firearms case since issuing important gun rulings in 2008 and 2010 that established an individual right to own guns for self-defense.

The United States has among the worlds most lenient gun laws.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

'What can the BJP do if our opponents ran away from the Surat battlefield?'

'Can we force somebody to contest and fight an election when they don't want to contest an election?'

India can speak...: US on Australian journalist's visa row

The row was erupted after Australian journalist Avani Dias claimed she was forced to leave India.

So That's Why Sharvari, Vaani Are Looking So Pretty

Are these B-Town's most fashionable floral moments?

Control the controllables: Patidar's mantra for success against SRH

Rajat Patidar struck a quickfire half-century to set up Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a 35-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Thursday.

2nd phase of LS poll underway amid heat wave concerns

The IMD has warned of heatwave to severe heatwave conditions in parts of West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh during the next five days.