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Friday 24 June 2022
Supreme Court expands gun rights, with nation divided

By JESSICA GRESKO get a license to carry a
Associated Press gun, Kavanaugh wrote,
WASHINGTON (AP) — In and condition that license
a major expansion of gun on "fingerprinting, a back-
rights after a series of mass ground check, a mental
shootings, the Supreme health records check, and
Court said Thursday that training in firearms handling
Americans have a right to and in laws regarding the
carry firearms in public for use of force, among other
self-defense, a ruling likely possible requirements."
to lead to more people le- Backers of New York's law
gally armed. The decision had argued that strik-
came out as Congress and ing it down would lead to
states debate gun-control more guns on the streets
legislation. and higher rates of violent
About one-quarter of the crime. Gun violence, on
U.S. population lives in the rise during the corona-
states expected to be af- virus pandemic, has spiked
fected by the ruling, which anew. Gun purchases have
struck down a New York also risen.
gun law. The high court's In most of the country gun
first major gun decision owners have little difficulty
in more than a decade Tom King, President Tom King, president of the plaintiff New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, legally carrying their weap-
speaks in his office, in East Greenbush, N.Y., Thursday, June 23, 2022.
split the court 6-3, with the Associated Press ons in public. But that had
court's conservatives in the been harder to do in New
majority and liberals in dis- ond Amendment right to ing the decision. Tom King, been 277 reported mass York and the handful of
sent. "keep and bear arms." president of the plaintiff shootings — an average states with similar laws. New
Across the street from the Justice Clarence Thomas New York State Rifle and of more than one per day," York's law, in place since
court, lawmakers at the wrote for the majority that Pistol Association, said he Breyer wrote. He accused 1913, says that to carry a
Capitol sped toward pas- the Constitution protects was relieved. his colleagues in the ma- concealed handgun in
sage of gun legislation "an individual's right to carry "The lawful and legal gun jority of acting "without public, a person applying
prompted by recent mas- a handgun for self-defense owner of New York State is considering the potentially for a license has to show
sacres in Texas, New York outside the home." That no longer going to be per- deadly consequences" of "proper cause," a specific
and California. Senators right is not a "second-class secuted by laws that have their decision. He said the need to carry the weapon.
cleared the way for the right," Thomas wrote. "We nothing to do with the ruling would "severely" bur- The state had issued unre-
measure, modest in scope know of no other constitu- safety of the people and den states' efforts to pass stricted licenses where a
but still the most far-reach- tional right that an individ- will do nothing to make the laws "that limit, in various person could carry a gun
ing in decades. ual may exercise only after people safer," he said. "And ways, who may purchase, anywhere and restricted
Also Thursday, underscoring demonstrating to govern- maybe now we'll start go- carry, or use firearms of dif- licenses allowing a person
the nation's deep divisions ment officers some special ing after criminals and per- ferent kinds." to carry the weapon but
over the issue, the sister of need." petrators of these heinous Several other conservative just for specific purposes
a 9-year-old girl killed in the California, Hawaii, Mary- acts." justices who joined Thomas' such as hunting and tar-
school shooting in Uvalde, land, Massachusetts, New The court's decision is some- majority opinion also wrote get shooting or to and from
Texas, pleaded with state Jersey and Rhode Island what out of step with public separately to add their their place of business.
lawmakers to pass gun leg- all have laws similar to New opinion. About half of the views. The challenge to the New
islation. The Republican- York's. Those laws are ex- voters in the 2020 presiden- Justice Samuel Alito criti- York law was brought by
controlled legislature has pected to be quickly chal- tial election said gun laws cized Breyer's dissent, ques- the New York State Rifle &
stripped away gun restric- lenged. in the U.S. should be made tioning the relevance of his Pistol Association, which
tions over the past decade. Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., more strict, according to discussion of mass shoot- describes itself as the na-
President Joe Biden said said the ruling came at a AP VoteCast, an expansive ings and other gun death tion's oldest firearms ad-
in a statement he was particularly painful time, survey of the electorate. statistics. Alito wrote that vocacy organization, and
"deeply disappointed" by with New York mourning An additional one-third the court had decided two men seeking an unre-
the Supreme Court ruling. It the deaths of 10 people in said laws should be kept as "nothing about who may stricted ability to carry guns
"contradicts both common a shooting at a supermar- they are, while only about lawfully possess a firearm or outside their homes.
sense and the Constitution, ket in Buffalo. "This decision 1 in 10 said gun laws should the requirements that must The Supreme Court last is-
and should deeply trouble isn't just reckless. It's repre- be less strict. be met to buy a gun" and sued a major gun decision
us all," he said. hensible. It's not what New About 8 in 10 Democratic nothing "about the kinds in 2010. In that decision and
He urged states to pass Yorkers want," she said. voters said gun laws should of weapons that people a ruling from 2008 the jus-
new laws. "I call on Ameri- Gun control groups called be made more strict, Vo- may possess." "Today, un- tices established a nation-
cans across the country to the decision a significant teCast showed. Among fortunately, many Ameri- wide right to keep a gun
make their voices heard on setback. Michael Wald- Republican voters, roughly cans have good reason to at home for self-defense.
gun safety. Lives are on the man, president of the Bren- half said laws should be fear they will be victimized The question for the court
line," he said. nan Center for Justice and kept as they are, while the if they are unable to pro- this time was just about
The decision struck down an expert on the Second remaining half closely di- tect themselves." The Sec- carrying a gun outside the
a New York law requiring Amendment, wrote on vided between more and ond Amendment, he said, home. Thomas, who turned
people to demonstrate a Twitter that the decision less strict. "guarantees their right to 74 on Thursday, wrote in his
particular need for carry- could be the "biggest ex- In a dissent joined by his do so." opinion that: "Nothing in
ing a gun in order to get a pansion of gun rights" by liberal colleagues, Justice Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the Second Amendment's
license to carry a gun in a the Supreme Court in U.S. Stephen Breyer focused on joined by Chief Justice text draws a home/public
concealed way in public. history. the toll from gun violence. John Roberts, noted the distinction with respect to
The justices said that re- Republican lawmakers Since the beginning of this limits of the decision. States the right to keep and bear
quirement violates the Sec- were among those cheer- year, "there have already can still require people to arms."q