What was significant about McDonald v. Chicago?

The ruling in McDonald v. Chicago was significant because it determined that the right to bear arms for self-defense is not only a federal right but also applies to individual states. The Supreme Court's decision extended the Second Amendment's protections, which had previously been interpreted to restrict only the federal government's ability to infringe upon this right. This case incorporated the Second Amendment through the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause, thereby ensuring that states cannot enact laws that infringe on an individual's fundamental right to possess firearms for self-defense. This marked a vital expansion of civil liberties in the context of gun ownership, establishing that both federal and state laws are bound by the protections outlined in the Second Amendment.