Did the Supreme Court just end gun control?

In a major victory for supporters of gun rights, the Supreme Court on Monday said the "right to bear arms" guaranteed by the Second Amendment severely limits the ability of state and local governments to restrict access to guns. The 5-to-4 McDonald v. Chicago ruling sends the fate of Chicago's handgun ordinance, one of the strictest in the nation, back to a lower court, but legal experts said the city's ban is effectively dead. Does this ruling merely confirm a right already guaranteed by the Constitution, or have the justices effectively put an end to even the most limited gun control laws? (Watch an AP report about the decision)

Terrific. Now even more Americans will feel they have to buy a gun: This will turn Main Street U.S.A into "Beirut or Baghdad," says David Ignatius in The Washington Post. Now everyone has the right to a gun permit, so more Americans than ever will rush to gun stores so they can feel protected against the pistol-packing hordes. Maybe it's time for the court to "take a look at the 'well-regulated' reference in the Second Amendment."

"The Supreme Court gun decision moves us toward anarchy"

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It's about time: This ruling was long overdue, says Ed Morrissey in Hot Air. The Supreme Court's rejection of Chicago's draconian gun law merely confirms what we knew already — that states and cities must incorporate the Constitution into their own laws. That doesn't mean they can't regulate guns within reason, but "ridiculously burdensome" gun bans like Chicago's "will be tossed on the ash heap of history, where they belong."

"Breaking: Court strikes Chicago handgun ban"

Most gun laws won't be affected: This may seem like a huge loss for gun-control advocates, says Stuart Taylor, Jr. in Newsweek, but the ruling "may not restrict gun-control laws very much." A few strict bans, like New York City's, may be in trouble, "but no statewide gun-control law appears to be in immediate jeopardy." And the court made it clear that longstanding regulations — such as those barring felons from carrying guns, and banning firearms in schools and government buildings — will remain untouched.

"Gun-rights decision may have limited impact"