Supreme Court ruling changes legal terrain for guns

• The ruling requires courts to assess gun rules relative to the nation’s historical treatment of guns.
• Experts say the new standard will prompt challenges to other gun regulations, such as red flag laws.
• The decision landed as Congress readies a major guns package in response to recent mass shootings.

WASHINGTON – On the one hand, the Supreme Court’s Second Amendment ruling on Thursday was limited: It struck down a requirement adopted in a half dozen Democratic-led states that curbed who may obtain a license to carry a handgun in public.

But under the hood of Associate Justice Clarence Thomas’ 63-page majority opinion is a significant shift in the way federal courts will review gun laws – a change experts say will prompt challenges to other restrictions, including policies Congress is considering as part of its bipartisan gun safety package.