In response to Chicago's 30-year handgun ban:

The Supreme Court held Monday that the Constitution's Second Amendment restrains government's ability to significantly limit "the right to keep and bear arms," advancing a recent trend by the John Roberts-led bench to embrace gun rights.

By a narrow, 5-4 vote, the justices signaled, however, that less severe restrictions could survive legal challenges.

Writing for the court in a case involving restrictive laws in Chicago and one of its suburbs, Justice Samuel Alito said that the Second Amendment right "applies equally to the federal government and the states."

Over at The Hill, Paul Helmke, president of gun-control-advocates The Brady Center, sees a positive side:

"We are reassured that the court has rejected, once again, the gun-lobby argument that its ‘any gun, for anybody, anywhere’ agenda is protected by the Constitution," Helmke said in a statement. "The court again recognized that the Second Amendment allows for reasonable restrictions on firearms, including who can have them and under what conditions, where they can be taken and what types of firearms are available."

The court's full opinion is here.