US Supreme Court rebuffs challenge to ban on gun ownership by nonviolent felons

Source: Yahoo! News/Reuters

Mon, March 2, 2026 at 10:17 AM EST


WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court turned away on Monday a challenge to the legality of a federal law that bars people with serious criminal convictions including nonviolent felons from owning firearms, ‌bypassing a chance to further expand gun rights.

The justices declined to hear an appeal by a Utah woman ‌named Melynda Vincent of a lower court's ruling that found the gun restriction did not violate her right under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment to "keep ​and bear arms." The prohibition on gun possession by nonviolent felons was part of a U.S. law called the Gun Control Act of 1968.

Vincent, a single mother who resides in Utah, was barred from owning a firearm following her 2008 felony bank fraud conviction for cashing a fraudulent check in the amount of roughly $500, according to court papers. Vincent appealed to the Supreme Court after ‌lower courts refused to reinstate her ability ⁠to lawfully own a gun.

President Donald Trump's administration had urged the court to turn away the challenge to the provision. In court papers, Justice Department lawyers noted that the administration already has ⁠taken steps to give U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi the authority to restore gun rights to nonviolent felons who meet certain eligibility criteria. The justices have recently turned away numerous cases like Vincent's.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/us-supreme-court-rebuffs-challenge-151745025.html