Washington, March 3 (DPA) The US Supreme Court appeared to be leaning toward granting all Americans the right to own firearms, in the latest landmark case Tuesday involving gun rights in the country.

The justices in the country's highest court heard oral arguments over a three-decade-old city ban on handguns in Chicago. The debate revolves around how far states can restrict the rights of gun owners, which are protected under the US Constitution.

A decision in the case is not likely for months, but comments by the court's nine justices suggested a majority of them were sympathetic to extending federal gun rights to state laws.

But declaring a right to own guns would not necessarily bar states from regulating gun ownership. It remained unclear how far the court might go to strike down broader gun control laws.

The emotional case could have major ramifications for gun control laws across the US and comes after the court two years ago struck down a similar hand gun ban in the capital city of Washington, a federal enclave that does not belong to any state.