US Supreme Court Rejects Gun Rights Appeal

The United States Supreme Court has rejected another call to decide whether Americans have a legal right to carry guns outside their homes.
美国最高法院再次拒绝裁决美国人是否有合法权力在家庭以外携带枪支。
The high court released rulings on a number of cases Monday. But it refused to hear a case against a California law that sets limits on carrying guns in public.
最高法院周一公布了对若干案件的裁定。但是它拒绝审理一起控告加州限制在公共场所携带枪支的法律的案件。

The high court left in place an appeals court ruling in the case.
最高法院保留了上诉法院对该案件作出的裁决。

The appeals court confirmed the legality of a measure to limit permits for concealed weapons -- those placed out of sight.
上诉法院确认了一项限制隐蔽武器许可证的措施的合法性。

The Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that the United States Constitution guarantees the right to carry a gun, at least for self-defense at home. But the court has refused repeated requests to expand on its understanding of gun rights.
More than 40 states already have rules giving gun owners a right to be armed in public.
最高法院在2008年裁定，美国宪法保证了人们拥有枪支的权利，至少是用于在家里自卫。但是该法院否决了让它扩大对枪支权利解释的多次要求。

A new study shows that Americans are as deeply divided about gun policy as they are about immigration, health care and other issues.
一项新的研究表明，美国人在枪支政策方面存在严重分歧，就像在移民、医保等问题上一样。

The Pew Research Center questioned 3,900 people nationwide. The resulting study found sharp differences of opinion between gun owners and those who do not own guns.
皮尤研究中心在全国范围内调查了3900人。由此得出的研究发现拥枪者和非拥枪者之间存在严重意见分歧。

The study found that more than half of owners support creation of a federal database for recording gun sales. Eighty percent of those who do not own guns also support such an effort.
研究发现，一半以上的拥枪者支持创建联邦数据库记录枪支销售。近80%的非拥枪者支持这类措施。

About half of gun owners support a ban on assault weapons, compared to almost 80 percent of non-gun owners.
大约一半的拥枪者支持禁止突击性武器，相比之下有近80%的非拥枪者支持。

Assault weapons have been compared to guns used in armed conflicts. Gun control activists say such weapons are meant to kill multiple people quickly, and not for civilian use.
突击性武器已经被和武装冲突中使用了的枪支进行比较。控枪活动人士表示，这类武器是为了迅速杀死多人，而不是用于民用。

Yet there was common ground among gun owners and non-gun owners on other issues.
然而在其它问题上，拥枪者和非拥枪者持有共同立场。

Nearly 90 percent of all those questioned believe the government should bar the mentally sick from purchasing guns.
近90%的被调查者认为，政府应该禁止精神病人购买枪支。

Also, about 80 percent of those who own guns believe people named on federal no-fly or watch lists should be prevented from buying guns.
此外，近80%的拥枪者认为应该禁止被列入联邦禁飞或监控名单上的人士购买枪支。

Strong majorities of both groups support background investigations of those who buy guns from an individual or at gun shows.
这两群人中的绝大多数人都支持对从私人手中或在枪支展览上购买枪支的人士进行背景调查。

The study also found that at least two-thirds of Americans have lived in a home with a gun. About half of those questioned who have never owned a gun said they had fired one.
这项研究还发现，至少2/3的美国人家里有枪。大约有一半从未有过枪的被调查者表示他们开过枪。

About 1,300 of the 3,900 people questioned said they own guns. The rest said they did not.
在3900名被调查者中，大约有1300人自称有枪，其他人自称没枪。

Most of the gun owners described themselves as white males who are members of the Republican Party.
大多数拥枪者自称是共和党白人男子。

The study found that people who live in the Northeastern United States are less likely to own a gun than are people in other parts of the country.
这项研究发现，美国东北部居民比美国其它地区居民持枪的可能性更低。