WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court said Thursday that Americans have a right to carry guns in public, a major expansion of gun rights.
GOPUSA Editor: As has been pointed out by one of our readers today’s Supreme Court ruling does not ‘expand’ gun rights but simply restores them to the people of NY and states with similar laws and reinforces them for all.
The justices’ 6-3 decision follows a series of recent mass shootings and is expected to ultimately allow more people to legally carry guns on the streets of the nation’s largest cities — including New York, Los Angeles and Boston — and elsewhere. About a quarter of the U.S. population lives in states expected to be affected by the ruling, the high court’s first major gun decision in more than a decade.
The ruling comes as Congress is actively working on gun legislation following recent mass shootings in Texas,New York and California.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the majority that the Constitution protects “an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home.”
“The constitutional right to bear arms in public for self-defense is not ‘a second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other Bill of Rights guarantees,’” Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the majority opinion. “We know of no other constitutional right that an individual may exercise only after demonstrating to government officers some special need.”
In their decision, the justices struck down a New York law requiring people to demonstrate a particular need for carrying a gun in order to get a license to carry one in public. The justices said the requirement violates the Second Amendment right to “keep and bear arms.”
California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island all have similar laws. The Biden administration had urged the justices to uphold New York’s law.
In a dissent joined by his liberal colleagues, Justice Stephen Breyer focused on the toll taken by gun violence. “Since the start of this year alone (2022), there have already been 277 reported mass shootings—an average of more than one per day,“ Breyer wrote.
Backers of New York’s law had argued that striking it down would ultimately lead to more guns on the streets and higher rates of violent crime. The decision comes at a time when gun violence already on the rise during the coronavirus pandemic has spiked anew.
In most of the country gun owners have little difficulty legally carrying their weapons in public. But that had been harder to do in New York and the handful of states with similar laws. New York’s law, which has been in place since 1913, says that to carry a concealed handgun in public, a person applying for a license has to show “proper cause,” a specific need to carry the weapon.
The state issues unrestricted licenses where a person can carry their gun anywhere and restricted licenses that allow a person to carry the weapon but just for specific purposes such as hunting and target shooting or to and from their place of business.
In response to this ruling, we are closely reviewing our options – including calling a special session of the legislature.
Just as we swiftly passed nation-leading gun reform legislation, I will continue to do everything in my power to keep New Yorkers safe from gun violence.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) June 23, 2022
The Supreme Court last issued a major gun decision in 2010. In that decision and a ruling from 2008 the justices established a nationwide right to keep a gun at home for self-defense. The question for the court this time was about carrying one outside the home.
© 2022 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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YAY !!!!!
Again—it is the character, demeanor, and intent of the person carrying a gun that determines how the gun will be used. Guns do not act on their own.
Egads, two good calls by the scotus in the same week..
Must be a record.
Well,, even a broke clock, is right twice a day.
AMEN!!!!
This gun grabbing governor and others like her fail to understand the purpose of the Constitution. It does NOT guarantee government the right to limit our rights. it guarantees our freedom to exercise our rights and limits her ability to take them away from us.
Look for a serious effort on the part of the Left to pack the courts. They are determined to overturn the US Constitution.
Leonidas, it isn’t that government officials don’t “understand the purpose of the Constitution.” They understand it quite well, they just don’t give a damn about the purpose, that’s why they are constantly suing to overturn one part of it or another. The “purpose,” after all, is to outline what government can’t do.
I agree 100%!!!
Having to pay for a license to carry a gun is just another excuse for a liberal controlling government to redistribute wealth and even basic life force from the Self-governing assuming the majority incapable of governing it. It is redistribution of life forces from people of integrity who obey written laws to those who consistently refuse to follow the law and use guns or anything for that matter for malicious gain. Enter the Democrat politicians who believe citizen control is more important than citizen safety.
There indeed would have been a different outcome had THE PEOPLE on January 6th had this ruling in place and showed up armed for self and national defense, and Millions of American would not have had their favorite soap operas pre-empted by the soap opera now occurring by Liz Cheney and the January 6th committee. Ashley Babbitt might still be alive and the one who shot her now in jail and the Supreme Court would have no worries, but Nancy and her crooked Legislature sure would.
“Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not…” – Thomas Jefferson.
“When the government fears the people there is liberty. When the people fear the government there is tyranny”. Thomas Jefferson
When Supreme Court Justices fear for their lives, blame the Democrats.
I;ve also noticed. ALL those liberals (inc the hollywood elite) who WHINED “its racist to demand photo id for voting, cause blacks can’t afford it”, NEVER EVER SEEM TO say “ITS racist to demand blacks PAY to get licensed to get guns, or to have photo id, or go through gun safety courses they have to pay for”…
WHY Do you think they are doing NOTHING TO STOP all the protesting and violence TOWARDS those on the court.. THEY WANT TO see them either intimidated, or killed off, SO THEY CAN PACK IT with liberals.
See what the namby-pamby Canadians did? They said it was an “expansion” of our rights. IT IS NOT. It is the RE-ESTABLISHMENT of the barest portion of our inalienable rights. And I refuse to be lectured by the maggots in Canada about rights. These fools have no issue with having their rights being quashed whilst they roll over like timid church mice.
Isn’t it what you would expect from a liberal judge. His response for the decision was not about whether you have a right but only about the consequences of a fraction of the people who a gun. It should have been an easy 9-0 vote. IT IS A RIGHT1. Not to be abridged.
Great comments!!!!