But on Thursday, the Supreme Court tossed out the law in an ideologically divided 63-page opinion.
The lower courts upheld the New York law against a challenge from two men whose applications for concealed-carry licenses were denied. Several other states, including California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, impose similar restrictions, as do many cities. Instead, applicants must demonstrate a special need for self-defense – for example, a pattern of physical threats. New York courts interpreted that phrase to require applicants to show more than a general desire to protect themselves or their property. Bruen required anyone who wants to carry a concealed handgun outside the home to show “proper cause” for the license. The state law at the heart of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. The 80-page bill would (among other things) require tougher background checks for gun buyers under the age of 21 and provide more funding for mental-health resources. In response to those shootings, the Senate this week reached an agreement on bipartisan gun-safety legislation that, if passed, would be the first federal gun-control legislation in nearly 30 years. Thursday’s landmark decision came less than six weeks after a gunman killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket, and less than a month after 21 people – 19 children and two teachers – were shot to death at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
Going forward, Thomas explained, courts should uphold gun restrictions only if there is a tradition of such regulation in U.S. In a far-reaching ruling, the court made clear that the Second Amendment’s guarantee of the right “to keep and bear arms” protects a broad right to carry a handgun outside the home for self-defense. The 6-3 ruling, written by Justice Clarence Thomas, is the court’s first significant decision on gun rights in over a decade. The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a New York handgun-licensing law that required New Yorkers who want to carry a handgun in public to show a special need to defend themselves.
This article was updated on June 23 at 4:06 p.m.
0 kommentar(er)
