Iran Press/ America: The 6-3 ruling knocks over a New York law that requires any person to prove they have legitimate self-defense needs to have a gun permit; the ruling will also prevent states from restricting people who carry guns.
The law almost made no regard for two deadly mass shootings in May - the Uvalde and Buffalo mass shootings - which sparked protests and waves of grief and devastation. The Supreme court nonetheless sided with advocates that argued for the right to bear arms.
The ruling constitutes a victory for the National Rifle Association (NRA), and it is the first by the Supreme Court in a major Second Amendment case in 10 years.
"Today's ruling is a watershed win for good men and women all across America and is the result of a decades-long fight the NRA has led," NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre said in a statement. "The right to self-defense and to defend your family and loved ones should not end at your home."
More than half of all US states allow citizens to carry firearms without permits - more than 20 states still maintain restrictions, which they may be forced to abandon with the Supreme Court's new ruling.
Over the past 20 years, over 200 million guns have circulated the US arms market, mainly assault rifles and personal handguns - all behind murders, mass shootings, and suicide.
The US Senate has also been working on a bipartisan framework that would tackle mass shootings.
US President Joe Biden said Thursday he is "deeply disappointed" with a Supreme Court ruling that expands the right to carry firearms in public across the United States.
US gun violence hit highest level since 1994
The firearm homicide rate in the United States reached its highest level since 1994 during the first year of the Covid pandemic, with significant racial and class disparities, according to a CDC report released Tuesday.
The year 2020 saw a historic increase in homicides in the US, which continued into 2021.
Firearms were used in 79 percent of homicides and 53 percent of suicides in the United States in 2020.
The nation's firearm homicide rate increased 34.6 percent from 2019 to 2020.
Higher poverty levels saw larger increases, with racial and ethnic minorities more likely to live in communities with high surrounding poverty.
In 2020, counties with the highest poverty levels had 4.5 and 1.3 times higher rates of firearm homicide and suicide, respectively, than counties with the lowest poverty levels.
While overall firearm suicide rates remained "relatively unchanged" from 2019 to 2020, increasing only slightly.
According to the CDC, firearm homicides and suicides are a "persistent and significant" public health concern in the United States.
"Longstanding systemic inequities and structural racism have resulted in limited economic, housing, and educational opportunities associated with inequities in risk for violence and other health conditions among various racial and ethnic groups," the report said.
The study's findings "underscore the importance of comprehensive strategies that can stop the violence" by addressing underlying factors that contribute to homicide and suicide rates, such as economic and social inequalities that drive racial disparities in health outcomes, according to the report.
Policies that improve economic and household stability, such as child care subsidies and housing assistance, could be among them, as could community outreach programs.
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