On June 26, 2008, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in District of Columbia v. Heller that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess firearms for self-defense, unconnected to militia service. The decision struck down D.C.'s handgun ban and required-disassembly rules. Gun ownership surged afterward—2008 was the first year handgun purchases overtook long guns in American history, coinciding with Barack Obama's election. Firearm ownership increased 26 percent from 2000 to 2024. Gun deaths jumped 17 percent after Heller, with almost 50,000 annual firearm deaths by 2016 (homicides and suicides combined). The ruling doesn't protect concealed carry or bar longstanding prohibitions on felons owning guns, bans in sensitive places like schools, or screening requirements. Three Illinois cities rescinded handgun bans immediately after the decision. Red states began loosening access barriers, putting guns in more places and more hands than ever before, while the national gun death rate climbed from 10.21 per 100,000 in 2009 to 11.96 in 2016.