Jun 24, 2022 3 min read Politics

Supreme Court Strikes Down New York's Handgun Law

In a landmark ruling, the high court declares a restrictive handgun law unconstitutional while Congress passes the most sweeping gun legislation in more than 30 years.

In one of the most consequential rulings on gun control in over a decade, the Supreme Court struck down a New York law Thursday requiring state residents to have "proper cause" to carry a handgun. Supporters of the Second Amendment have lauded the decision, while gun control advocates say it jeopardizes public health, writes USA Today.

Gun rights supporters ecstatic, safety experts appalled: Supreme Court ruling reverberates across nation (USA Today)

Excerpt from USA Today: The now-unconstitutional law, part of a larger array of New York gun restrictions highlighted as some of the toughest in the nation, mandated that those applying to carry a concealed handgun provide a reason why they need the weapon, which officials then approve or deny. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul swiftly denounced the ruling, saying the Supreme Court "recklessly" struck down the law at "a moment of national reckoning on gun violence."

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According to the New York Times, the Supreme Court ruling that Americans have a broad right to arm themselves in public is expected to spur a wave of lawsuits seeking to loosen existing state and federal restrictions and will force five states — California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey, home to a quarter of all Americans — to rewrite their laws.

Supreme Court Strikes Down New York Law Limiting Guns in Public (New York Times)

Excerpt from the New York Times: The 6-to-3 decision again illustrated the power of the six conservative justices, all of whom voted to strike down the New York law, in setting the national agenda on social issues. The court’s three liberal members dissented. The Second Amendment, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the majority, protects "an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home." States can continue to prohibit guns in some locations like schools and government buildings, Justice Thomas wrote, but the ruling left open where exactly such bans might be allowed.

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In response to the ruling, New York City officials said they were considering ways to expand the number of "sensitive places" where firearms can be restricted in public. City Council speaker Adrienne Adams, a Democrat from Queens, said she would call for the state legislature to pass a law declaring any place with over 10,000 people per square mile a "sensitive place," effectively outlawing concealed carry throughout New York City, according to National Review.

Blue States Scramble to Rewrite Gun Laws after Historic Supreme Court Ruling (National Review)

Excerpt from National Review: "These states have to come into compliance, or we will force them to," Gun Owners of America lawyer Stephen D. Stamboulieh told the New York Times. California governor Gavin Newsom blasted the Court’s ruling, while saying that his state is "ready" with new gun legislation to comply with the ruling. "Our state is ready with a bill that will be heard next week to update and strengthen our public-carry law and make it consistent with the Supreme Court ruling," Newsom said in a statement, calling the decision "radical."

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