In a unanimous decision March 21 the US Supreme Court defended the use of stun guns under the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms.
The court ruled in the case Caetano vs. Massachusetts that it was a Second Amendment right for a woman to carry a stun gun in her purse even though the state had a ban on such weapons.
The Massachusetts woman had filed for a restraining order against her husband and was carrying the stun gun to protect herself when police discovered it.
In reversing a lower court’s decision, the Supreme Court negated the state law on the grounds that a person does in fact have a right to carry a stun gun, saying it was not an “unusual” weapon — one of the limitations on the Second Amendment.
In a landmark 2008 case, District of Columbia vs. Heller, the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision for the first time declared the Second Amendment gave citizens the right to possess a handgun, but left many questions unanswered. Yesterday’s ruling at least extends those rights to stun guns.
The court did, however, leave open some form of additional legal wrangling as it sent the case back for unspecified review. But the ruling is clear. Stun guns are all good.
To read the full ruling visit SupremeCourt.gov.
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