In which case did the Court hold that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms applies to state governments through incorporation?

In which case did the Court hold that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms applies to state governments through incorporation?

• A. Heller v. District of Columbia (2008)
• B. McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010)
• C. Reynolds v. United States (1878)
• D. Schenck v. United States (1919)

Answer: (B)

Incorporation through the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause binds state and local governments to most protections in the Bill of Rights. McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010) is the case that applied this to the Second Amendment, holding that the right to keep and bear arms is fully applicable to the states. The Court explained that the Second Amendment’s protection is not limited to the federal government or to the District of Columbia, but extends to state and local gun regulations through incorporation, aligning with how other rights have been applied to the states. This builds on Heller, which recognized an individual right to possess firearms (in the federal district) but did not address state action. Reynolds v. United States (1878) deals with religious liberty and polygamy, not gun rights or incorporation, and Schenck v. United States (1919) concerns speech and wartime limits, not the Second Amendment.

Incorporation through the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause binds state and local governments to most protections in the Bill of Rights. McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010) is the case that applied this to the Second Amendment, holding that the right to keep and bear arms is fully applicable to the states. The Court explained that the Second Amendment’s protection is not limited to the federal government or to the District of Columbia, but extends to state and local gun regulations through incorporation, aligning with how other rights have been applied to the states. This builds on Heller, which recognized an individual right to possess firearms (in the federal district) but did not address state action. Reynolds v. United States (1878) deals with religious liberty and polygamy, not gun rights or incorporation, and Schenck v. United States (1919) concerns speech and wartime limits, not the Second Amendment.