Washington As lawmakers at the state and federal level mount renewed efforts to enact stricter gun control laws in response to the latest mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, the Supreme Court is poised to issue its most significant Second Amendment ruling in more than a decade.
The decision from the high court in a dispute over New York's stringent licensing regime for carrying concealed handguns outside the home could come as soon as next week, setting it against the backdrop of two mass shootings in a span of 10 days that shocked the nation the first, a racist attack at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, that left10 dead; the second at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas where 19 students and two teachers were killed.
New York's rules require a resident seeking a license to carry a firearm outside the home to demonstrate a "proper cause" to obtain one, which state courts have said is a "special need for self-protection." Challengers to the law argue the Second Amendment protects the right to carry firearms outside the home for self defense, while supporters warn invalidating the restrictions could lead to more firearms on the streets.
Following oral arguments in November in the case, known as New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, a majority of the court appeared poised to invalidate the New York law, though the scope of a forthcoming decision on the right to carry outside the home remains unclear.
Joseph Blocher, a law professor at Duke University and co-director of its Center for Firearms Law, said it's unlikely the Supreme Court finds all permit requirements for public carry of handguns to be unconstitutional, which would be a sweeping decision mandating nationwide permitless carry. Instead, the high court could strike down the New York law on the grounds it is too strict or gives too much discretion to state licensing officials.
Either way, Blocher predicted that a decision from the Supreme Court to invalidate New York's rules could prompt states to shift their focus to new restrictions that prohibit firearms in sensitive spaces, such as in bars.
The prospect of location-specific restrictions on public carry was an issue raised by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett in November, as they questioned whether a city or state could ban guns on university campuses, in football stadiums or in Times Square. Justice Clarence Thomas and Elena Kagan, meanwhile, questioned the potential for varying degrees of regulation based on the density of the population.
"It seems completely intuitive that there should be different gun regimes in New York than in Wyoming or that there should be different gun regimes in New York City than in rural counties upstate," Kagan said. "But it's a hard thing to make with our notion of constitutional rights generally."
Blocher, though, noted that throughout the nation's history, guns have been regulated more in urban areas than in rural places.
"Rules about permit requirements or open carry and the kinds of guns people possess might be tailored to the communities where they're being used," he said, adding that Thomas appeared open to the notion that the "urban-rural divide could play a role in charting the boundaries of the Second Amendment going forward."
The New York case is the most significant involving gun rights that the justices have heard since 2008, when the high court ruled the Second Amendment protects the right to have a handgun in the home for self-defense, and in 2010, when the court said the right applies to the states.
Writing for the majority in 2008's Heller v. District of Columbia, which involved D.C.'s handgun ban, Justice Antonin Scalia noted a rise in handgun violence nationwide and said the Constitution leaves the government a "variety of tools for combatting that problem, including some measures regulating handguns," but the court provided little guidance as to what gun restrictions are constitutionally permissible.
Since then, the 2008 decision is often cited by both sides of the gun control debate as a reason against enacting new firearms regulations and as the reason why gun violence has continued to rise in the U.S.
Nelson Lund, a law professor at George Mason University who is an expert on the Second Amendment, said the forthcoming ruling in the New York legal fight could allow the court to clear up uncertainties left after the Heller decision.
"There are so many questions left unanswered by Heller, and ever since that case was decided in 2008, people have been arguing about what it implies," he said. "You can make arguments on both sides because Heller was written in a way that allowed people to do that."
Lund noted that a decision from the high court voiding New York's concealed-carry licensing framework could jeopardize regimes in other states at least six allow a person to carry a firearm in public only if they demonstrate a need to do so though that raises the question of what law then could replace those rules.
"They could write an opinion that basically has very little effect beyond invalidating this particular statute, or they could also write an opinion that gives a lot of guidance about how far state and local governments may go," he said.
Amid the wait for the Supreme Court's decision in the challenge to New York's limits, the mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde have spurned new attempts by elected officials at the state and federal levels to change laws to curb gun violence.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said the state "must reassess the twin issues of school safety and mass violence" and requested state legislative leaders convene special legislative committees to develop recommendations on issues to prevent future school shootings, including mental health and gun safety.
And in Congress, a bipartisan group of senators has been meeting this week to find common ground on new firearms laws.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, said in a statement Wednesday that he and Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, are working through details of a measure focusing on "red flag" laws, which allow courts to order the confiscation of firearms from those threatening to harm themselves or others. He is also discussing with senators a plan for the safe storage of firearms.
Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine who is also involved in gun control talks, said negotiators are "making rapid progress toward a common sense package" that could garner bipartisan support.
The House Judiciary Committee is meeting to consider eight different gun control measures that together will be packaged as the "Protecting Our Kids Act" and taken up by the full House next week. Among the bills are plans to raise the minimum purchasing age for semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21, ban large-capacity magazines and establish requirements regulating the storage of firearms on residential facilities.
Any legislation that clears the House, though, must be able to garner 60 votes to advance in the evenly divided Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has blessed the attempt at bipartisan negotiations to reach consensus on laws to reduce gun violence, but he warned last week that the Senate will proceed with a vote on gun control legislation in the near future even if the talks fail.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said during an event in Kentucky on Wednesday that the discussions are meant to "see if we can find a way forward consistent with the Second Amendment that targets the problems."
But Blocher said the failure by Congress to enact new limits on firearms has more to do with politics than constitutional bounds.
"Politically, we are nowhere near the limits that the Supreme Court has set out. In Heller, the Supreme Court made clear that a potentially wide range of gun regulations are perfectly constitutional, and thus far we have for political reasons not taken advantage of that, whether it's expanded background checks or extreme-risk laws or other possibilities as well. The [New York] case could change that, but I expect the court will recognize gun rights and regulations can go hand-in-hand like they have for all of American history," he said. "The greatest obstacle to gun regulations in the United States is political, not judicial."
Trending News
Here is the original post:
Upcoming Supreme Court ruling in major Second Amendment case looms over calls for new gun laws - CBS News
- The Future of the Second Amendment - Berkeley Law - April 18th, 2024 [April 18th, 2024]
- Mental Health Firearms Bill Divides Second Amendment Supporters in State House - NH Journal - April 18th, 2024 [April 18th, 2024]
- Biden Administration Unlawfully Expands Background Checks on Firearms Sales - Kevin Cramer - April 18th, 2024 [April 18th, 2024]
- The Second Amendment and 18-to-20-Year-Olds - Reason - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Chatbots like crime, hate firearms: A Second Amendment study - Washington Examiner - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- OK: Oppose H.J.R. 1034, Unless Amended! | GOA - Gun Owners of America - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Republicans blast Biden admin's 'Red Flag Operation' as one that will 'violate' Second Amendment rights - Fox News - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Gordon Signed Four Second Amendment Bills, Vetoed Another - WyoToday.com - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- A new resource center in the DOJ has a lot of people worried about their Second Amendment rights - Tri-State Alert - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- 'It Has Everything to Do With Race': Protesters Clash Outside Kyle Rittenhouse Event - Yahoo News UK - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- Governor signs firearm bills, vetoes bill to repeal gun-free zones - Buckrail - March 29th, 2024 [March 29th, 2024]
- FISA and the Second Amendment: Gun Owners Beware - RealClearPolicy - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Second Amendment protects the rest | Commentary | norfolkdailynews.com - Norfolk Daily News - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Ricketts Signs Brief to Defend Gun Owners and Second Amendment - Rural Radio Network - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Dems bow to local control on guns then take it away | BRAUCHLER - coloradopolitics.com - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Augusta County Second Amendment guy wants to protect schoolkids from books? - Augusta Free Press - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- The 2nd Amendment is not about Hunting - WIBC - Indianapolis News & Politics - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- Opinion: Protecting Our Second Amendment Rights in St. Louis ... - The Missouri Times - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- Statement by Vice President Kamala Harris on the Mass Shooting in ... - The White House - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- Letter: Second Amendment matters more than ever - Quad-City Times - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- The Supreme Court is seriously considering whether domestic ... - Vox.com - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- Letter urging House Speaker to act on gun violence sent hours prior ... - Woodland Daily Democrat - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- Vermont: Gun-Controllers Are Abandoning Their Rural Roots - NRA ILA - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- Foundation prepares to disburse roughly $32 million in legal aid ... - The Florida Bar - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- Critics Sock Sean Hannity Over His Bizarre Personal 'Plan' For Mass ... - Yahoo! Voices - October 27th, 2023 [October 27th, 2023]
- Second Amendment Roundup: Fusillade of Amicus Briefs Filed in Rahimi - Reason - October 12th, 2023 [October 12th, 2023]
- 12 Defensive Gun Uses Bare Absurdity of Attacking Gun Rights - Daily Signal - October 12th, 2023 [October 12th, 2023]
- Horrific Attack In Israel Shows Critical Importance Of Second Amendment In America | David Hookstead - Outkick - October 12th, 2023 [October 12th, 2023]
- OPINION: Second Amendment rights deserve protection - The ... - Stanly News & Press - October 12th, 2023 [October 12th, 2023]
- Noel Hudson: What, exactly, was the well-regulated militia? - VTDigger - October 12th, 2023 [October 12th, 2023]
- Berkshire residents and officials join the debate at the statehouse ... - Berkshire Eagle - October 12th, 2023 [October 12th, 2023]
- Old gun controls that were constitutionally repealed are not precedents for modern gun control - Reason - October 7th, 2023 [October 7th, 2023]
- Rahimi: The Case That Might Turn the Court Even More Extreme on Guns - The New Republic - October 7th, 2023 [October 7th, 2023]
- Second Amendment proponents fear public health emergencies ... - The Statehouse File - October 7th, 2023 [October 7th, 2023]
- UGA political groups debate the Second Amendment at political ... - Red and Black - October 7th, 2023 [October 7th, 2023]
- From the Second Amendment to OxyContin Settlements, Here Are ... - WTTW News - October 7th, 2023 [October 7th, 2023]
- Goldwater Institute Urges Supreme Court to Respect Second ... - The Creative Corner - October 7th, 2023 [October 7th, 2023]
- I carry a firearm daily. Second Amendment rights are not absolute. - Daily Kos - October 7th, 2023 [October 7th, 2023]
- Free Lecture - To Trust the People with Arms: The Supreme Court ... - Buckeye Firearms Association - October 7th, 2023 [October 7th, 2023]
- Federal Judge Enjoins Several Maryland Restrictions on Carrying ... - Reason - October 7th, 2023 [October 7th, 2023]
- Guest columnist Lee Armstrong: Taking 2nd Amendment to extremes - GazetteNET - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- Analysis: ACLU Warns of Government Overreach in Second ... - The Reload - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- Madison's Militia: The Hidden History of the Second Amendment, by ... - Shepherd Express - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- Massachusetts Judge Rules Law Against Carrying Guns Across ... - The Reload - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- It's Not Hard to Tell Good Guy From Bad Guy, as 12 More Defensive ... - Heritage.org - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- NRA-ILA Files Friend of the Court Brief Urging the Eighth Circuit to ... - NRA ILA - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- Panhandling ordinance amendments pass first Council vote - Mountain Xpress - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- Florida's New Concealed Carry Law: What You Need to Know - Hernando Sun - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- Why did PragerU lie about being approved in Texas schools? - Reckon - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- No longer a cold war, the Tennessee House and Senate are not ... - News Channel 5 Nashville - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- What's News, Breaking: Tuesday, August 22, 2023 - Brooklyn Daily Eagle - August 26th, 2023 [August 26th, 2023]
- Sparse turnout for gun rights rally with Kyle Rittenhouse after Michigan gun reform laws signed Michigan Advance - Michigan Advance - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Tom Huckin: A misinterpretation of the Constitution leads to disastrous consequences - Salt Lake Tribune - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Debate on Second Amendment | News, Sports, Jobs - Williamsport Sun-Gazette - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Sorry, Gov. Newsom, but Citizens Want to Use Guns to Defend ... - Heritage.org - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- D-Wave Quantum Inc. Enter into the Limited Waiver and Second Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement with PSPIB Unitas Investments II Inc -... - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Federal Judge Rejects Lawsuit to Uphold Texas Suppressor Law for ... - The Texan - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Governor's Council approves all 7 of Healey's pardon ... - WBUR News - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Jonah Goldberg: Why July is the cruelest month for GOP presidential ... - The Winchester Star - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Second Amendment Roundup: U.S. Seeking Cert on Prohibited Persons % - Reason - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- 2nd Amendment Quotes for Hot Topics - Everyday Power - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- ICYMI: Buffalo News Editorial: Gun Laws and a More Sensible ... - ny.gov - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Opinion | Prince William needs gun-free zones - The Washington Post - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Second Federal Judge Expands Block on Biden Pistol-Brace Ban as ... - The Reload - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Editorial: Mayor's order of support for trans citizens contrasts with the ... - St. Louis Post-Dispatch - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Simple answer isn't workable - Las Vegas Sun - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- DeSantis and the Road to the White House - The Media Line - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Should gun stores be allowed near schools? These parents are ... - Reckon - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Hawaii Agrees to Drop Baton Ban After Losing Court Fight - The Reload - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Demise of S.F. exaggerated. It's still a great city to visit - San Francisco Chronicle - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- ESAs consult to amend technical standards on the mapping of ... - ESMA - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- 'Not tools of self-defense': Ferguson makes case for Washington's ... - The Columbian - May 30th, 2023 [May 30th, 2023]
- Lawrence ODonnell Airs Old Clip of Republican Chief Justice Calling the Second Amendment a Fraud on the American Public - Mediaite - March 31st, 2023 [March 31st, 2023]
- Marshall University Prof: Cops and Vets Earn Their Second Amendment Rights Through Months of Training - The Truth About Guns - February 28th, 2023 [February 28th, 2023]
- Interpretation: The Second Amendment | Constitution Center - January 27th, 2023 [January 27th, 2023]
- Senate panel okays Tax Laws (Second Amendment) Bill: Fixed tax scheme gets nod to bring 2m retailers into tax net - The News International - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]
- Gohmert: Without a change to how children are taught, 'We're going to have to get rid of the Second Amendment' - Fox News - December 18th, 2022 [December 18th, 2022]
- Minim, Inc. and Cadence Connectivity, Inc. Enter Second Amendment to Loan and Security Agreement with Silicon Valley Bank - Marketscreener.com - December 18th, 2022 [December 18th, 2022]
- Opinion: Let's talk about repealing the Second Amendment - The Connecticut Mirror - December 12th, 2022 [December 12th, 2022]
- The right to bear arms: what does the second amendment really mean ... - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]