US appeals court to revisit open carrying of guns

A federal appeals court has decided to reconsider its recent decision that the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the right to openly carry guns in self-defense.

In an order on Friday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it will revisit whether Hawaii acted lawfully in denying the plaintiff George Young a permit to openly carry a loaded gun.

Circuit Judge Diarmuid O’Scannlain wrote for a 2-1 majority last July 24 that “we do not take lightly the problem of gun violence, which the State of Hawaii has understandably sought to fight,” but that the state nevertheless violated Young’s rights.

Friday’s order means an 11-judge appeals court panel will rehear the case. A hearing has yet to be scheduled.

Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall