Appeals court says 2nd Amendment allows open carry of guns

LOS ANGELES (AP) – A federal appeals court has ruled that the 2nd Amendment provides the right to openly carry a gun in public for self-defense.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that Hawaiian officials had violated George Young’s rights by denying him a permit to openly carry a loaded gun in public.

The 2-1 decision reversed a lower court decision that sided with officials who said the amendment only applied to guns kept in homes.

The panel says that “for better or worse” the 2nd Amendment protects the right to carry a firearm in public for self-defense.

The majority says the ruling is not at odds with the San Francisco-based court’s previous ruling that found there’s no right to carry concealed guns in public.