Justices take up gun case, though disputed law has changed

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is turning to gun rights for the first time in nearly a decade, even though the regulation at the heart of a challenge by New York City gun owners already has been changed.

The justices’ persistence in hearing arguments Monday despite the city’s action has made gun control advocates fearful that the court’s conservative majority could use the case to call into question gun restrictions across the country.

Gun rights groups are hoping the high court is on the verge of extending its landmark rulings from 2008 and 2010 that enshrined the right to have a gun for self-defense at home.

The lawsuit began as a challenge to the city’s prohibition on carrying a licensed, locked and unloaded handgun outside the city limits.