The agency objected to the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Second Amendment.
QUICK FACTS:
- The Department of Justice issued a statement of disagreement with the Supreme Court’s Thursday ruling on New York’s gun laws.
- The court had ruled that the law requiring New York residents to provide some reason for needing to obtain a concealed carry license violated their Second Amendment rights.
- DOJ condemned the opinion: “We respectfully disagree with the Court’s conclusion that the Second Amendment forbids New York’s reasonable requirement that individuals seeking to carry a concealed handgun must show that they need to do so for self-defense,” DOJ wrote.
- “The Department of Justice remains committed to saving innocent lives by enforcing and defending federal firearms laws, partnering with state, local and tribal authorities and using all legally available tools to tackle the epidemic of gun violence plaguing our communities.”
- The agency’s response was consistent with Joe Biden’s statement on the ruling when he said he was “deeply disappointed” in the case’s outcome.
NEW YORK PUBLICATION OUTLINES WHY THIS IS GOOD FOR THE STATE:
- In an article covering the decision, the New York Post offered reasons why New Yorkers shouldn’t be concerned about the possibility of more concealed carry licenses being issued.
- For one thing, there are still other special permits and regulations that lawful gun carriers will have to submit to in order to carry a firearm in public.
- Additionally, guns are still banned in “sensitive areas” such as subways, nightclubs, movie theaters, and sports stadiums.
- The piece also cited studies that have found there is a crime-reducing effect of “more guns, less crime,” in many areas.
BACKGROUND:
- The high court’s 6-3 decision split along ideological lines, with Justice Clarence Thomas penning the 135-page majority opinion.
- Thomas said that New York’s “proper-cause requirement violates the Fourteenth Amendment by preventing law-abiding citizens with ordinary self-defense needs from exercising their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms in public for self-defense.”
