Second Amendment

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled today that a man who outgrew his violent neighborhood to become a respectable member of society still cannot legally own a concealed weapon in Boston for self protection, even though he sometimes carries large amounts of cash.

The state's highest court said state gun laws do not violate Mirko Chardin's Second Amendment rights because even the US Supreme Court has held the right to own a gun is not absolute and that states can enact laws to keep guns out of the hands of people convicted of felonies - including minors.

The court recounted Chardin's history: At age 14, in 1995, he got a gun for protection after his friend was murdered over some sneakers. He was standing in front of a plainclothes police officer when the gun fell out of his pocket and he was arrested. He has changed since then, however, the court noted:

Roving UHub photographer Rhea Becker filed this photo from the Common, where gun lovers are holding a protest today that featured a little boy reciting the Second Amendment.

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled today Massachusetts residents do not have a Constitutional right to keep loaded handguns in unlocked bedside drawers.

The ruling by the state's highest court upholds a state law that requires gun owners to either store guns in locked containers or equip them with locking mechanisms when they're not under their "immediate control."

The ruling comes in the case of John McGowan, a Springfield resident who got into an argument with his roommate over a $10 loan in 2008. She grabbed his loaded gun out of his bedside drawer, went outside and threw it into some bushes. When he went out to retrieve the weapon, she locked him out and he called police, who, among other things, filed charges against him for not properly storing his weapon.

McGowan sued to get his gun back, arguing the law violates his Second Amendment rights and recent Supreme Court decisions that let somebody possess a gun for self protection.

A federal appeals court has upheld the right of Massachusetts police departments to deny people the right to bear certain arms if they lie on their permit applications.

The ruling means former Boston police officer Stacey Hightower can no longer carry a concealed .38 caliber five-round revolver - or carry high-capacity weaponry.

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled today nothing the Supreme Court has said invalidates the state's requirements for gun permits, so people can't just go out and buy guns willy-nilly.