Final answer:
The 2008 Supreme Court ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller recognized an individual's right to bear arms, specifically for self-defense within the home. The 2010 McDonald v. Chicago case extended this right to be applicable to the states.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 2008, a landmark Supreme Court ruling recognized an individual right to bear arms for the purpose(s) of self-defense within the home. This decision came from the case District of Columbia v. Heller, where the court decided in a 5-4 vote that the Second Amendment does protect an individual's right to keep and bear arms, at least under certain circumstances.
This landmark ruling was made in District of Columbia v. Heller, where the court determined that at least some gun control laws violated the Second Amendment. The ruling was later reinforced in McDonald v. Chicago in 2010, establishing that the right to bear arms also applies to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause.
Additionally, in 2010, the McDonald v. Chicago case further solidified that the individual right to keep and bear arms for self-defense is fully applicable to the states through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Despite these rulings, the Supreme Court also indicated that gun rights are not absolute by allowing some strict gun control laws to stand, similar to limitations on rights protected by the First Amendment.