in a 2008 decision the u.s. supreme court ruled that
that the Second Amendment protects an individual 's right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia for traditionally lawful purposes , such as self - defense within the home , and that Washington , D.C. 's handgun ban and requirement that lawfully - owned rifles and shotguns be kept `` unloaded and disassembled or bound by a trigger lock '' violated this guarantee