Supreme Court Upholds Gun Restriction

Someone finally stood up to the gun lobby (sort of). On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that gun owners must report when they are purchasing firearms for other people. In a 5-4 decision, the court upheld two lower-court decisions that had ruled against “straw purchasers.” The court acknowleged there were loopholes in federal gun laws that could allow people to purchase guns for others and render the laws “utterly meaningless,” Justice Elena Kagan said during oral arguments. She also authored the majority opinion, noting: “No piece of information is more important under federal firearms law than the identity of a gun’s purchaser—the person who acquires a gun as a result of a transaction with a licensed dealer.” The Supreme Court also declined to weigh in on whether it is wrong to hold a high-school graduation in a church, but allowed a challenge from Susan B. Anthony List to laws banning political lies.