RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS

Feds Can’t Ban Non-Violent Criminals From Owning Guns, Court Rules

The case was filed b a Pennsylvania man who was barred from possessing a gun after he pleaded guilty to welfare fraud.

A federal appeals court ruled 11-4 Tuesday that people convicted of non-violent crimes can’t be barred from possessing guns by the federal government. Pennsylvania man Bryan Range, who previously pleaded guilty to welfare fraud to get $2,458 in food stamps, sued in 2020 after his conviction prevented him from owning a gun. Although his misdemeanor was punishable by up to five years in prison, Range was only sentenced to three years of probation. He argued the prohibition violated his Second Amendment right to bear arms, but the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals initially upheld a lifetime gun ban against him. The court reheard the case and decided “the Government has not shown that the Nation’s historical tradition of firearms regulation supports depriving Range of his Second Amendment right to possess a firearm,” according to the majority opinion. It made clear that its ruling does not apply to felons convicted of violent crimes such as murder or sex offenses, The Wall Street Journal reported.