WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court made clear again Tuesday that the government has broad power to restrict and regulate firearms, dismissing a Second Amendment challenge to California’s 10-day waiting period for new gun purchases.

While the court has ruled that the Second Amendment protects the right of law-abiding citizens to own guns, the justices have repeatedly refused to go further by blocking strict gun regulations, including state bans on the sale of semiautomatic weapons or limits on who can carry in public.

Dissenting alone, Justice Clarence Thomas said “the Second Amendment is a disfavored right in this court.”

In 2008 and 2010, the court struck down ordinances in Washington, D.C., and Chicago that prohibited the private handgun possession as violations of Second Amendment. Americans have a right to have gun at home for self-defense, the court said in 5-4 decisions.

Since then, the justices have turned down gun rights advocates who have sued to challenge gun regulations based on the Second Amendment.


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