In a dissent joined by his liberal colleagues, Justice Stephen Breyer focused on the toll taken by gun violence.
The ruling comes as Congress is actively working on gun legislation following recent mass shootings in Texas, New York and California.
The Supreme Court is hearing a case on New York’s gun control laws that could have massive implications nationally.
The Supreme Court last issued a major gun decision in 2010.
In that decision and a ruling from 2008 the justices established a nationwide right to keep a gun at home for self-defense.
Challenging the more than 100-year-old law were two men whose applications for unrestricted licenses were denied and a gun-rights advocacy group.
The Supreme Court is hearing arguments on whether New York's gun laws violate the second amendment. »
