But it was unclear from a two-hour argument in the case how much more the court was willing to do to clarify the Second Amendment. Several expressed concern about allowing those with concealed weapons in sensitive areas, such as stadiums, crowded public events, or places where alcohol is served.

The court's six conservative justices expressed varying levels of support for the two individuals and the National Rifle Association affiliate challenging New York's requirement, enacted more than a century ago, that says those who want to carry a concealed weapon for self-defense show a "special need for self-protection distinguishable from that of the general community."