Read the following excerpt from the Supreme Court decision in the Supreme Court case District of Columbia v. Heller. Explain how the Supreme Court interprets the Second Amendment as it relates to personal liberties and the government's need to pass laws protecting the safety of society.

Question

"Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose: For example, concealed weapons prohibitions have been upheld under the Amendment or state analogues. The Court's opinion should not be taken to cast doubt on longstanding prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings, or laws imposing conditions and qualifications on the commercial sale of arms."
A. The Supreme Court argued that society safety concerns always outweigh the need for the personal right to carry a firearm.

B. The Supreme Court argued that government has the right to pass laws restricting the possession of firearms when that possession may lead to a danger to society.

C. The Supreme Court argued that previous court decisions restricting personal ownership of firearms should be vacated.

D. The Supreme Court argued that the importance of personal liberty to possess a weapon far outreaches concern over safety.

Answer 1

The correct interpretation based on the excerpt is:

B. The Supreme Court argued that government has the right to pass laws restricting the possession of firearms when that possession may lead to a danger to society.

This is evident in the excerpt, where the Court acknowledges that the Second Amendment right is not unlimited and that there are appropriate restrictions. The Court recognizes that the government can impose laws that restrict firearm possession to ensure societal safety, such as prohibitions on firearms for felons and the mentally ill, and restrictions on carrying firearms in sensitive places like schools and government buildings.