<Li> Federal Assault Weapons Ban (1994--2004): Banned semiautomatics that looked like assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices . The law expired in 2004 . </Li> <Li> Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (2005): Prevent firearms manufacturers and licensed dealers from being held liable for negligence when crimes have been committed with their products . </Li> <P> The right to keep and bear arms in the United States is protected by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution . While there have been contentious debates on the nature of this right, there was a lack of clear federal court rulings defining the right until the two U.S. Supreme Court cases of District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) and McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010). </P> <P> An individual right to own a gun for personal use was affirmed in the landmark District of Columbia v. Heller decision in 2008, which overturned a handgun ban in the Federal District of Columbia . In the Heller decision, the court's majority opinion said that the Second Amendment protects "the right of law - abiding, responsible citizens to use arms in defense of hearth and home ." </P>

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