Freedom

The Supreme Court found that New York’s gun law overly restricted access to concealed carry permits

By Anders Hagstrom

President Biden is “deeply disappointed” with a Supreme Court gun decision that struck down a New York law restricting access to concealed carry permits Thursday.

Biden released the statement hours after the Supreme Court released its decision. The New York law had required permit applicants to provide specific reasons for needing a firearm. 

“Since 1911, the State of New York has required individuals who would like to carry a concealed weapon in public to show a need to do so for the purpose of self-defense and to acquire a license,” Biden wrote. “More than a century later, the United States Supreme Court has chosen to strike down New York’s long-established authority to protect its citizens.”

“I urge states to continue to enact and enforce commonsense laws to make their citizens and communities safer from gun violence,” he added.

Biden’s statement came minutes after Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also condemned the ruling, calling it a “dark day” for New York. Hochul stated that the U.S. only had access to muskets when the 2nd Amendment was written, and that she was “prepared to go back to muskets” through gun restrictions.

The case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, was the first major 2nd Amendment case to come before the Supreme Court in more than a decade. New York’s law required a person to show “proper cause” before being able to obtain a concealed carry license.

A Texas concealed carry permit holder diffused a situation where a man wielded a machete at the driver who fatally struck his girlfriend.  (iStock)

The “proper cause” standard allowed state officials to determine whether applicants had supplied a specific reason for needing a firearm, denying access to people who stated they simply wanted to protect themselves.

“In this case, petitioners and respondents agree that ordinary, law-abiding citizens have a similar right to carry handguns publicly for their self-defense. We too agree, and now hold, consistent with Heller and McDonald, that the Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home,” Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the Court’s opinion. “Because the State of New York issues public-carry licenses only when an applicant demonstrates a special need for self-defense, we conclude that the State’s licensing regime violates the Constitution.”

The gun rights case is among more than a dozen ruling SCOTUS is scheduled to hand down Thursday and Friday. Also among them is Dobbs v. Jackson, an abortion case in which the court is expected to overturn Roe v. Wade.