A federal appeals court has ruled that a law barring people who regularly use illegal drugs from owning guns is constitutional because of longstanding concerns about public safety, but ordered a lower court to take a closer look at whether disarming a Pennsylvania man who smokes marijuana violates his individual Second Amendment rights.
In a split opinion issued on July 14, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled in a case involving Erik Harris, who was charged under federal statutes after buying three handguns while regularly using marijuana.
Harris, then 21, falsely stated on federal firearms purchase forms that he was not an unlawful user of marijuana, according to court filings. Days after buying one of the guns, he went out drinking and after getting high, lost the firearm while partying and later reported it stolen….