An interesting piece in the Minneapolis paper regarding the upcoming SCOTUS gun case out of NY. I haven't linked to the article because it's behind a paywall that most of you probably don't have, but I'll try to summarize it.
Basically, the author sort of reads the "tea leaves" pertaining to the case based upon the process whereby the Court accepted review.
The NY case involves a law that said that you can't get a conceal/carry permit unless you can demonstrate a "special need" for self-defense." The two plaintiffs were denied the permit. One of the plaintiffs claimed a need based upon a string of recent crimes in his neighborhood. The second simply stated he had no need for the permit.
The plaintiffs lost in the lower court and petitioned the SCOTUS for review. It takes four justices to accept cert, so observers assumed it would be quickly granted, given the makeup of the court.
However, cert was apparently considered multiple times without an order accepting it. Finally, on like the third or fourth conference where it was discussed, cert was accepted. But it was accepted with a completely different "issue" to be decided.
Instead of the broad issue as to whether the second amendment authorizes law abiding citizens to carry guns outside their homes, a much more narrow issue was imposed by the court, basically asking whether the state's denial of petitioners applications for conceal carry permits for self defense violated the second amendment. The re-writing of the issue by the Court is very rare.
The author suggests that this change was first necessary to get at least four votes to grant cert, and that it forecasts a decision based entirely on the facts. The "facts" surrounding the two different petitioners are starkly different, which suggests a decision that allows for some gun control. A law requiring a demonstrated need for self defense meets the second amendment requirements, but if you use that to just deny all applications, it doesn't fit within the second amendment.