The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a bid by New York’s gun retailers to repeal firearms laws implemented by the state, which they claimed threatened their businesses.
The laws were brought in by New York’s attorney general, Letitia James.
She acted after the Supreme Court in June repealed a 1913 law in New York which made it very difficult to obtain a permit for concealed carry.
Under the almost 110-year-old rule, New Yorkers – unlike residents in most other states – had to prove ‘proper cause’ to be able to concealed carry. The restrictions were so tight permits were scarcely issued, and went mainly to business owners who handled large amounts of cash, celebrities who faced death threats and retired police officers.
The list of concealed carry license holders in New York City was not public, but an analysis by the New York Times in 2011 found that about 4,000 people in the city had permits.
Paloma Capanna (left), the lead attorney for nine New York gun retailers, said they were disappointed by the Supreme Court decision, which upheld the laws put in place by New York attorney general, Letitia James (right)
The Supreme Court in June struck down a New York law that required applicants seeking a concealed carry license to show ‘proper cause’ for their request. In response, New York’s attorney general Letitia James brought in new restrictions. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court rejected a challenge to her laws
The Supreme Court in June overturned the status quo, and said that it was against the Second Amendment to impose such restrictions on gun ownership.
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.
Dozens of states already allow nearly unrestricted carrying of weapons in public, but the six Democrat-run states retain a high degree of control over who gets a permit.
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.
In response, James implemented a new law which prohibits carrying a gun in ‘sensitive areas,’ such as stadiums, houses of worship, museums, parks and other public places.
It imposes revised record-keeping and new safety requirements on retailers, and mandates background checks on all ammunition purchases.
Gun owners complained all the way to the Supreme Court, which on Wednesday struck down their complaint, without providing any explanation.
The US Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a bid by New York gun retailers to stop state laws concerning the carrying of firearms
Paloma Capanna, the lead attorney for the nine New York gun retailers, told Fox News Digital they were disappointed at the Supreme Court decision, which she said imposes unreasonable demands on business owners.
‘We are disappointed that not one of the nine justices saw fit to grant the plaintiffs some stay of enforcement of the new laws against them,’ she said.
‘We are challenging the ability of the state of New York to target dealers in firearms in the lawful stream of commerce, to put them out of business, which is what the new laws will do.
‘So it really was unfortunate to see that we couldn’t get any emergency temporary injunction against those laws.’
Capanna argued that the record-keeping requirement was excessive.
‘The list of new mandatory compliance even goes so far as a turnover of acquisition and disposition records, which the state of New York attorneys have admitted will be used to create the first-ever gun owners registry housed at the New York State Police,’ she added.
But James celebrated the decision, describing it as a victory for common sense.
Wednesday’s order comes one week after the high court rejected a separate bid by gun rights activists to block James’s law, the Concealed Carry Improvement Act.
‘For the second time this month, the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed New York’s gun safety laws to remain in effect,’ she tweeted.
‘We will continue to defend our commonsense laws that protect New Yorkers.’
Eric Adams, the mayor of New York – a former police officer, who revealed on the campaign trail that as an ex-officer and public figure he planned to carry a concealed gun in public after taking office – also commended the Supreme Court decision.
‘The Concealed Carry Improvement Act and the state’s nuisance statutes are critical to damming the rivers feeding the sea of gun violence in our communities,’ he said.
‘We support @NewYorkStateAG and the state in their ongoing fight to keep New Yorkers safe.’