An individual right to own a gun for personal protection is an idea deeply rooted in American culture. But for most of U.S. history, there was little legal framework to support any such interpretation of the Second Amendment. Above, a man aims his pistol at a shooting range in Queens, in New York, in June. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
A gun store in Arcadia, Calif. on March 15, 2020. A federal appeals court has ruled that California's ban on the sale of semiautomatic weapons to adults under age 21 is unconstitutional. Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP hide caption
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal to expand gun rights in the United States in a New York case over the right to carry a firearm in public for self-defense. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption
Gun rights supporters, including militia members, rally in support of gun rights in September 2018 during an event put on by the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance. The alliance and groups like it around the country have been pushing back against efforts to increase gun regulations in the wake of high rates of gun violence. Heath Druzin/Boise State Public Radio hide caption
Demonstrators stand outside a security zone in Richmond, Va., on Monday. Thousands of activists and gun enthusiasts converged on the city to urge the state not to pass new gun laws. Tyrone Turner/WAMU hide caption
Gov. Ralph Northam said state intelligence analysts have identified threats and rhetoric online that mirror the chatter they were picking up around the time of the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville in 2017. Zach Gibson/Getty Images hide caption
New York police Sgt. Damon Martin in the 75th Precinct field intelligence office, where the walls are covered with photos of seized illegal guns. Martin Kaste/NPR hide caption
Antonio Basco, husband of El Paso Walmart shooting victim Margie Reckard, hugs an attendee during his wife's visitation service in El Paso, Texas, in August. Paul Ratje/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Oliver North speaks at the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action Leadership Forum at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Friday. Michael Conroy/AP hide caption
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., speaks to a group in Iowa City, Iowa, in February. Swalwell, who became the latest Democrat to run for president, was born in Iowa but grew up in California. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption
Blake Mycoskie attends the TOMS' End Gun Violence Together Rally, Feb. 11, 2019 in Washington, D.C. Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS shoes, is one of four business leaders asking Congress to pass a bill requiring background checks on all gun sales. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for TOMS Shoes hide caption
Handguns are displayed at a trade show in Las Vegas. The Supreme Court is granting a case on gun rights for the first time since 2010. John Locher/AP hide caption
The conversation around gun violence in the U.S. usually focuses on homicides, urban crime and mass shootings. But the overwhelming majority of gun deaths are suicides. Nicole Xu for NPR hide caption
The Supreme Court term that just concluded was a small taste of what is to come. In all, 13 of the cases decided by a liberal-conservative split, Justice Anthony Kennedy provided the fifth and deciding conservative vote. Mark Wilson/Getty Images hide caption
Demonstrators march toward Las Vegas City Hall during the March for Our Lives rally last month in Las Vegas, where 58 people were killed in an October 2017 mass shooting. Ethan Miller/Getty Images hide caption
The U.S. Supreme Court is shown on Dec. 4, 2017, in Washington, D.C. The court, continuing a years-long pattern, has declined to hear a constitutional challenge to a state gun law. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption
Gun shop owner Jeff Binkley displays a Glock 9mm pistol at Sarge's Sidearms in Benson, Ariz., in September. John Moore/Getty Images hide caption
A new ballot measure in Washington will determine if courts can take away guns from people deemed to be dangerous to themselves or others. The initiative is well-funded and comes two years after the state passed a different initiative for background checks on gun sales, including those that are private. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption
The Philadelphia group Black Guns Matter offered firearms education and safety training at Philly Fire Arms Academy in May. Bastiaan Slabbers hide caption
Queen Thompson Brown, who lost a son to gun violence in 2006, speaks prior to the introduction of Democrat Hillary Clinton at the Trayvon Martin Foundation's "Circle of Mothers" Gala. Joel Auerbach/AP hide caption
Jesse Mackey, an NRA member, has taught concealed-carry classes out of his living room in Xenia, Ohio, for a decade. Lewis Wallace/WYSO hide caption
Demonstrators march through the streets of Winston-Salem, N.C., in July 2015, after the beginning of a federal voting rights trial challenging a 2013 state law. The most controversial part of that law — requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls — goes into effect this week, although its language was softened slightly last summer. Chuck Burton/AP hide caption
Rick Ector trains new gun owners at a range just outside of Detroit. He supports more African-Americans getting permits to carry concealed weapons. Martin Kaste/NPR hide caption