Supreme Court Overturns New York Gun Law, Expanding Gun Rights
The Supreme Court overturned a New York concealed carry law Thursday morning in a 6-3 decision in the case New York Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. The decision will expand gun rights, with the court ruling that a person does not need cause when carrying a concealed weapon in public.
The court’s conservative majority ruled that the stricter limits violate the Second Amendment. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the majority opinion stating, “We know of no other constitutional right that an individual may exercise only after demonstrating to government officers some special need. It is not how the Second Amendment works when it comes to public carry for self-defense.”
This decision comes less than a month after the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Justice Steven Breyer wrote about recent mass shootings in the dissent.
“The question before us concerns the extent to which the Second Amendment prevents democratically elected officials from enacting laws to address the serious problem of gun violence,” he wrote. “And yet the Court today purports to answer that question without discussing the nature or severity of that problem.”
Breyer also referenced the number of mass shootings in 2022 with 277 reported.
The decision will open the door to overturning similar laws in California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
President Joe Biden responded critically to the Supreme Court decision stating, “This ruling contradicts both common sense and the constitution and should deeply trouble us all.”
Today’s Supreme Court ruling on guns is deeply troubling as it defies commonsense and the Constitution. Lives are at stake. Congress should pass the bipartisan gun safety proposal immediately and continue to do more to protect our communities.
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) June 23, 2022
Just a few hours after the decision was released, the Senate advanced a bipartisan gun safety bill drafted in response to recent mass shootings. You can follow the Senate updates here.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called SCOTUS’ overturning of a state law that limits who can carry a concealed weapon “reckless.”
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) June 23, 2022
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