REUTERS/Cheney OrrJune 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. government cannot ban people convicted of non-violent crimes from possessing guns, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday.
Circuit Court of Appeals is the latest defeat for gun control laws in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year expanding gun rights nationwide.
The decision stems from a 2020 lawsuit by a Pennsylvania man, Bryan Range, who was barred under federal law from possessing a gun after pleading guilty to welfare fraud.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which enforces federal gun laws, declined to comment.
Federal criminal law generally bars people convicted of crimes punishable by more than a year in prison from possessing guns.
Persons:
Cheney Orr, Bryan Range, Peter Patterson, Thomas Hardiman, Cheryl Ann Krause, Brendan Pierson, David Gregorio, Alexia Garamfalvi, Leslie Adler
Organizations:
Republican, Tennessee, Democratic, Historic, REUTERS, U.S, Circuit, Supreme, U.S . Constitution, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Explosives, Thomson
Locations:
Nashville , Tennessee, U.S, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S ., United States, New York