Photo by Samer Farha.

The Supreme Court ruled today that Second Amendment protections extend to the states, finally extending the 2008 Heller decision that knocked down the District’s three-decade-old gun ban.

But while the 5-4 decision in McDonald v. Chicago means that outright gun bans can no longer stand anywhere else in the country, the ruling majority left open the possibility that local governments could impose restrictions and regulations based on their “needs and values.” Since the Heller decision — which applied only to the District, because it’s a federal entity — the D.C. Council has crafted regulations on gun ownership that local officials defend as necessary and gun enthusiasts deride as oppressive. Earlier this year, a federal judge upheld the city’s new regulations, though further challenges are expected.

For the rest of the country, this is what to expect — if you’ve got a gun ban in place, get rid of it; then expect plenty of legal challenges on which restrictions are permissible and which aren’t.