US Supreme Court to hear first major case on gun control in more than a decade

The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear its first major case on gun control in more than a decade as it decides whether citizens have a constitutional right to carry concealed weapons in public.

A law in New York state restricting licences for carrying weapons in public places has been challenged by two gun owners and the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association

The case will be the first since Amy Coney Barrett, a strong proponent of the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms, was appointed to the Supreme Court, giving it a 6-3 conservative majority.

It could lead to a further expansion of individual gun rights 13 years after the landmark case District of Columbia v. Heller.

The Heller case established that keeping guns in a home for self-defence was a constitutional right.

Eight states including New York currently limit who has the right to carry a gun in public.

The others are California, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island.

In the rest of the country gun owners have little trouble legally carrying their weapons when they go outside.

The appeal against the New York restrictions, which is also backed by the National Rifle Association, is expected to be heard by the Supreme Court in the autumn.

Justices will answer, according to the Constitution, whether New York's refusal to give concealed-carry licences to the two gun owners violated their Second Amendment rights.

Paul Clement, for the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association said: "The nation is split with the Second Amendment alive and well in the vast middle of the nation and those same rights disregarded near the coasts."

Lawyers for the state of New York said its gun restrictions promoted public safety.

Appeal courts have upheld previous rulings against states that have limited public carrying of guns.

Last month, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals concluded: "Our review of more than 700 years of English and American legal history reveals a strong theme - government has the power to regulate arms in the public square."

However, Justice Barrett has previously argued for an expansion of individual gun rights.

She recently argued that the Second Amendment has been treated as a "second-class right" by the courts.

Recent weeks have seen the debate over guns resurface amid mass shootings in Indiana, Georgia, Colorado and California.

That led to calls from Joe Biden and Democrats for stricter gun control.