US Supreme Court Rules NY Concealed Firearms Restriction Violates 2nd Amendment

The US Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a New York State law that prohibited individuals from carrying a firearm without specific cause on the grounds that it violates the 14th amendment of the Constitution, according to a decision written by Justice Clarence Thomas.

The New York State law in question required individuals who wished to carry a firearm outside their home to prove that they have “proper cause” to do so based on a special need for self-defense beyond that of an ordinary citizen.

“New York’s proper-cause requirement violates the Fourteenth Amendment by preventing law-abiding citizens with ordinary self-defense needs from exercising their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms in public for self-defense,” the US Supreme Court said.

The 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause ensures that no state can deny any person the equal protection of the laws, guaranteeing equal exercise of constitutional rights, including the right to bear arms, by US citizens.

Thomas argued that no other constitutional right requires a citizen to demonstrate to the government the need to exercise that right. The New York State law prevents law-abiding citizens from exercising their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, Thomas concluded.

The US Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a New York state gun control law as unconstitutional risks putting residents at risk of more gun violence, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Thursday.

"Put simply, this Supreme Court ruling will put New Yorkers at further risk of gun violence," Adams said via Twitter. "We have been preparing for this decision and will continue to do everything possible to work with our federal, state, and local partners to protect our city."

US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he’s "deeply disappointed" by a Supreme Court decision striking down a New York state gun control law as unconstitutional.

"I am deeply disappointed by the Supreme Court’s ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen," Biden said in a statement. "This ruling contradicts both common sense and the Constitution, and should deeply trouble us all."

Biden in the statement also urged states to continue enacting and enforcing so-called "commonsense" gun laws.