Barrett Signaled Willingness to Go Farther on Guns Than Scalia

Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett argued against blanket bans on convicted felons possessing firearms in a federal appeals court dissent that has won plaudits from gun rights supporters and raised concerns among gun control advocates.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit majority last year upheld the ban in Kanter v. Barr. Barrett’s dissent argued that such blanket bans run afoul of the Second Amendment because there’s no evidence those who commit nonviolent felonies are particularly dangerous.

“There’s much to be said for that argument,” said Adam Winkler of the University of California, Los Angeles, who ...