Second Amendment Supreme Court Cases: Heller to Wolford

The modern cases in order

• District of Columbia v. Heller (2008): the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep a handgun in the home for self-defense.
• McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010): the right applies to state and local governments through the Fourteenth Amendment.
• Caetano v. Massachusetts (2016): in a short per curiam opinion, the Court vacated a ruling upholding a stun-gun ban, repeating that the right “extends, prima facie, to all instruments that constitute bearable arms.”
• New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n v. Bruen (2022): the right extends to carrying a handgun in public, and New York’s “proper cause” permit requirement was unconstitutional.
• United States v. Rahimi (2024): a person a court has found to pose a credible threat to another’s safety may be temporarily disarmed.
• United States v. Hemani (2026): prosecuting a marijuana user under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3) for a gun kept at home, with no showing of dangerousness, was unconstitutional as applied.
• Wolford v. Lopez (2026): Hawaii’s rule banning permit holders from carrying on private property open to the public without the owner’s express consent was unconstitutional.

Rahimi: disarming dangerous people

An individual found by a court to pose a credible threat to the physical safety of another may be temporarily disarmed consistent with the Second Amendment.

United States v. Rahimi, 602 U.S. 680, 702 (2024)

The Court upheld 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(8), which bars people under qualifying domestic-violence restraining orders from possessing firearms, against a facial challenge. It also explained that the historical test does not require an exact match: the earlier precedents “were not meant to suggest a law trapped in amber” (at 691).

Hemani and Wolford (2026)

In United States v. Hemani, 608 U.S. 772 (2026), the Court held that “the government’s prosecution of Mr. Hemani under § 922(g)(3)’s unlawful user provision is inconsistent with the Second Amendment.” The ruling was narrow and as-applied, so the statute itself remains in force.

In Wolford v. Lopez, 609 U.S. 185, 191 (2026), the Court said Hawaii’s private-property rule “hobbles what the Second Amendment protects: the right of Americans to carry arms for self-defense as they go about their daily lives,” and held it unconstitutional. Both 2026 citations are to preliminary prints, whose page numbers can change.

Statutory cases and what is pending

Some firearms cases turn on statutes, not the Second Amendment. In Garland v. Cargill, 602 U.S. 406, 415 (2024), the Court held that a bump stock does not make a rifle a “machinegun,” so ATF exceeded its authority. In Bondi v. VanDerStok, 604 U.S. 458 (2025), it upheld ATF’s rule treating some weapon parts kits as “firearms” against a facial challenge.

Pending: on June 30, 2026, the Court agreed to decide Viramontes v. Cook County, joined with Grant v. Higgins, which asks “whether the Second and Fourteenth Amendments guarantee the right to possess AR-15 platform and similar semiautomatic rifles.” Argument is set for December 2, 2026.

This guide explains the law in general and reports what courts have held. It is not legal advice. Firearm laws change often and differ by state and city, so check the current law where you are.

Researching Second Amendment cases in your state

To research Second Amendment cases for a real matter, start with the primary sources. For example, read the statute, the rule and the documents in your own file. Then look for recent appellate decisions from your state, because they control how local courts read the law. After that, compare what you found with the federal rules that may also apply. Our state procedures guide and the Research Center can help you find and check each source.

Sources and further reading

Official sources used on this page:

• tile.loc.gov
• tile.loc.gov
• tile.loc.gov
• supremecourt.gov
• supremecourt.gov

Related reading on Lawtopolis:

• The Second Amendment: Text and Meaning
• The Bruen Test: Text, History and Tradition
• Who Cannot Own a Gun: Prohibited Persons Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)