Appeals Court Upholds Ban on Felons Possessing Firearms

The ruling contradicts another U.S. circuit panel’s ruling that allows felons without violent offenses to carry guns.

A customer shops for a pistol in Tinley Park, Ill., on Dec. 17, 2012. Scott Olson/Getty Images

The U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the Second Amendment right to bear arms does not apply to felons, moving away from a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2022 that guaranteed this right to every American for self-defense.

It also contradicts a ruling in May by the Ninth Circuit that non-violent, convicted felons can own guns.