By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
The gun prohibition lobby is going ballistic over Thursday’s 6-3 Supreme Court ruling that struck down New York State’s century-old gun control restriction that required applicants for a concealed carry permit to provide a “good cause” justification in order to exercise a constitutionally protected right to bear arms.
Writing for the Court, Justice Clarence Thomas observed, “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.” We know of no other constitutional right that an individual may exercise only after demonstrating to government officers some special need. That is not how the First Amendment works when it comes to unpopular speech or the free exercise of religion. It is not how the Sixth Amendment works when it comes to a defendant’s right to confront the witnesses against him. And it is not how the Second Amendment works when it comes to public carry for self-defense.”
But that’s not good enough for anti-gunners obviously opposed to the individual right to keep and bear arms, as can be seen in their reactions.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted, “It is outrageous that at a moment of national reckoning on gun violence, the Supreme Court has recklessly struck down a New York law that limits those who can carry concealed weapons.”
An email blast from March For Our Lives called the ruling “an extreme and dangerous expansion of the second amendment that elevates the right to carry guns over every other right.”
“This ruling reverses critical gun safety legislation in New York and will cause similar gun safety laws in seven other states to fall as well,” the group complained. “Americans will die as a result of this decision.”
Igor Volsky, co-founder of Guns Down America, declared, “Today the Supreme Court rejected centuries of precedent and struck down New York State’s licensing system for carrying firearms in public spaces. The law has been in effect for over 100 years. The decision ignores the simple truth that firearm regulations have been a part of American life since even before our independence.”
Volsky properly noted the ruling “threatens similar laws in over half a dozen states, including California and New Jersey, which are home to approximately 25 percent of the nation’s population. In short, this is a huge blow for public safety and will no doubt cost many Americans their lives.
“Today’s unconscionable ruling is just another example of conservative leaders putting the gun lobby and ideology ahead of public safety,” Volsky argued.
The then made a pitch for contributions.
An email blast from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee called the ruling “extremely troubling news.”
“Just weeks after senseless acts of gun violence killed 21 people at a Texas elementary school and more across the country,” the DSCC message continued, “the conservative majority on the Supreme Court just made it easier to bring deadly weapons into our communities — and harder for states and cities to do anything about it.
“Enough is enough,” the message said. “Democrats must speak out immediately to DEMAND commonsense gun reforms — and then do whatever it takes to defeat the gun lobby and its allies.”
The Second Amendment Foundation noted in its reaction that the ruling could bolster a couple of federal lawsuits it has filed against laws in Washington State.
“The high court ruling gives further direction to lower federal courts on how they must interpret the Second Amendment,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “This is the third consecutive Supreme Court victory for the right to keep and bear arms since the 2008 Heller ruling, followed by SAF’s win in the 2010 McDonald case, which incorporated the Second Amendment to the states via the 14th Amendment. That decision paved the way for legal challenges to state laws including New York’s egregious and arbitrary carry permit requirement that was firmly crushed.”
Gottlieb also took a swipe at anti-gun Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, “It should be noted for the record, that…Ferguson joined an amicus brief opposing the New York lawsuit while SAF filed a brief supporting the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association’s case. Not only was Ferguson on the losing side, we were on the winning side.”
The National Rifle Association issued a statement.
“Today’s ruling is a watershed win for good men and women all across America and is the result of a decades-long fight the NRA has led,” said Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association. “The right to self-defense and to defend your family and loved ones should not end at your home. This ruling brings life-saving justice to law-abiding Americans who have lived under unconstitutional regimes all across our country, particularly in cities and states with revolving door criminal justice systems, no cash bail and increased harassment of law-enforcement.”
“This is a monumental win for NRA members and for gun owners across the country. New York’s egregious law, which left its residents’ self-defense rights to the whim of a government bureaucrat, has been declared unconstitutional and must be changed. New Yorkers will soon be able to defend themselves outside of their homes without first having to prove that they have a sufficient “need” to exercise their fundamental rights,” said Jason Ouimet, executive director, National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA). “This is more than just a great day for New York because this ruling opens the door to rightly change the law in the seven remaining states that still don’t recognize the right to carry a firearm for personal protection. The NRA has been at the forefront of this movement for over 30 years and was proud to bring this successful challenge to New York’s unconstitutional law.”
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