Supreme Court overturns New York’s gun law, expands concealed carry rights

The Supreme Court overturned a New York law requiring concealed carry licence applicants to demonstrate a special need for self-defense.

The decision overturns a 108-year-old law that restricted who could obtain a permit to carry a concealed handgun in public.

According to Justice Clarence Thomas, New York’s “property-cause requirement” barred law-abiding citizens from exercising their Second Amendment rights.

In his dissent, Justice Stephen Breyer highlights the rise in gun violence in the United States as well as the pervasiveness of firearms.

The decision of the Supreme Court does not preclude states from imposing licencing requirements for carrying handguns.

It does not affect existing regimes in 43 states, according to the court’s decision. The New York case was the most important Second Amendment case heard by the Supreme Court since its 2008 decision.

Supporters of gun rights had hoped that the court would recognise the right to carry a firearm in public. The decision of the Supreme Court has no bearing on licencing rules in six states, including New York. Instead, it has an impact on the more stringent rules in place in those states.

The decision has left President Biden “deeply disappointed.” At a national reckoning on gun violence, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul calls it “outrageous.”