Supreme Court backs gun rights for marijuana users in 9-0 decision

(The Center Square) – Gun rights advocates celebrated the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday to allow occasional marijuana users to possess firearms.

Justices on the high court ruled unanimously to allow Ali Hemani, a man found with marijuana, cocaine and a pistol in his home to keep his Second Amendment rights. John Commerford, executive director of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, told The Center Square it was “encouraging” to see a unanimous decision from the high court in favor of the Second Amendment.

“Any time you see the U.S. Supreme Court issue a 9-0 decision, it gets your attention,” he told The Center Square. “The U.S. government cannot deprive you of your core constitutional rights simply because you chose to be an occasional marijuana user.”

Commerford said he was particularly encouraged to see justices on the high court reference the pre-deprivation process, where an individual can get a gun confiscated before it is proven whether they broke the law. In Hemani’s case, the government argu...