Nation divided as US Supreme Court expands gun rights after sting of mass shootings

The Supreme Court in the USA has expanded gun right after a series of mass shootings. The apex court said that Americans have the right to carry firearms in public for self-defence.

In a major expansion of gun rights after a series of mass shootings, the Supreme Court said Thursday that Americans have a right to carry firearms in public for self-defence, a ruling likely to lead to more people being legally armed. The decision came out as Congress and states debate gun-control legislation.

About one-quarter of the US population lives in states expected to be affected by the ruling, which struck down a New York gun law. The high court’s first major gun decision in more than a decade split the court 6-3, with the court’s conservatives in the majority and liberals in dissent.

Across the street from the court, lawmakers at the Capitol sped toward the passage of gun legislation prompted by recent massacres in Texas, New York and California. Senators cleared the way for the measure, modest in scope but still the most far-reaching in decades.

Also, Thursday, underscoring the nation’s deep divisions over the issue, the sister of a 9-year-old girl killed in the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, pleaded with state lawmakers to pass gun legislation. The Republican-controlled legislature has stripped away gun restrictions over the past decade.

The Senate voted 65 to 33 to pass the bipartisan gun control bill — the most significant legislation addressing guns in nearly 30 years.

The bill will now be sent back to the House, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi has vowed to take it up swiftly. Though Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has been urging Republicans to vote against the bill, it is expected to pass the Democrat-controlled House.

Although the bill does not represent all the gun control measures President Biden has called for, he is expected to sign the bill.