Last week, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down the most consequential gun rights decision in 14 years, eliminating barriers for citizens in seven states to get their concealed carry permits. But opponents claim the ruling will upend safety in blue states and major U.S. cities.
In New York State Rifle and Pistol Association vs Bruen, the justices ruled in a 6-3 decision that a New York law requiring concealed handgun permit (CHP) applicants to show “proper cause” (or demonstrate a good reason) to carry outside their homes is unconstitutional. The ruling only applies to concealed carrying of handguns, not open carry or brandishing long guns in public.
This means that average Americans within these states, not just celebrities and politicians, can now enjoy their constitutional right to conceal carry outside their homes under more liberal “shall-issue” laws like those found in 43 states.
In the decision, Justice Clarence Thomas explained: “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.’”
Despite the anti-gun movement’s misrepresentation of the ruling, its impact will lead to more responsible firearms ownership — not less of it.