A split 2-1 N.C. Court of Appeals panel has reversed a lower court and ruled in favor of plaintiff Walter Sutton Baysden that the state’s Felony Firearms Act violates his constitutional right to bear arms.

The split among appellate judges mean the state could seek a review from the N.C. Supreme Court.

The issue of gun ownership for nonviolent ex-felons has attracted Daren Bakst’s attention in the past.