WASHINGTON, March 18: The US Supreme Court on Tuesday, for the first time in nearly 70 years, began considering the right of Americans to keep and use guns.

The controversial case questions whether the capital city of Washington can maintain its ban of nearly all handguns and restrictions on shotguns in the home.

The nine justices will deliberate on whether the right to “keep and bear arms,” as described in the constitution, is an individual or collective right, and whether the capital’s regulations are “reasonable.” “What is reasonable about a total ban on possession?” asked Chief Justice John Roberts, questioning whether it is “all right to allow prohibition of newspapers” despite the rights to free press and speech.

Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative, said that the capital’s laws — some of the most stringent in the nation — mean that “even if you have the gun... it doesn’t mean you could use it for self-defence in your home.”

The city of Washington passed its gun ban in 1976.—AFP