Americans Have Right to Carry Firearms in Public for Self-Defence: US Supreme Court 

The ruling, the high court’s first significant gun case in more than ten years, was reached by a 6-3, with the conservatives on the court making up the majority and the liberals the dissenting vote. 

  

  

In a significant extension of gun rights, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that citizens have the right to carry weapons for self-defence in public. 

It is anticipated that more individuals will eventually be able to legally carry weapons on the streets of the nation’s greatest cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and Boston, as a result of the decision, which was made in response to previous mass shootings. 

States that are anticipated to be impacted by the decision, which invalidated a New York gun restriction, are home to around 25% of the US population. 

The ruling, the high court’s first significant gun case in more than ten years, was reached by a 6-3, with the conservatives on the court making up the majority and the liberals the dissenting vote. 

 

Mass Shootings 

Following horrific shootings in Texas, New York, and California, Congress attempted to implement gun reform at the time of the ruling. 

The most comprehensive legislation in decades was anticipated to be approved by senators on Thursday despite the measure’s modest goals. 

In a statement, President Joe Biden expressed his disappointment with the Supreme Court’s decision, stating that it “contravenes both common sense and the Constitution, and should greatly worry us all.” 

I call on Americans around the nation to make their voices known on gun safety. He added as he pushed states to adopt new legislation. There is a risk to lives. 

Justice Clarence Thomas penned the majority decision in stating that the Constitution guarantees “a person’s right to carry a weapon for self-defence outside the house. 

 

Carry a Licence? 

The ruling invalidated a New York rule that mandated that applicants for a licence to carry a pistol in public must show a legitimate need for one. 

The court ruled that the regulation violates the right to keep and bear weapons guaranteed by the Second Amendment. 

States with comparable legislation include California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.  

The Biden administration had pleaded with the justices to defend New York’s statute. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York said the decision comes at a challenging time since ten people died in a horrific shooting at a Buffalo supermarket, which New York is currently mourning. 

This choice goes beyond mere carelessness. It is repugnant. New Yorkers don’t want it, she claimed. 

According to Breyer, 277 recorded mass shootings—more than one every day—have occurred since this year alone (2022). 

Supporters of the New York statute contended that its repeal would increase the number of weapons on the streets and violent crime rates.  

Gun violence has grown much more since the coronavirus pandemic, which was already rising. 

Most of the nation, gun owners may openly carry firearms without incident. But in New York and the few other states with comparable legislation, it had been more challenging to do so. 

According to New York’s legislation, which has been in effect since 1913, a person requesting a licence must demonstrate good cause or a specific necessity to carry the firearm. 

The state grants unrestricted licences, which enable a person to carry their gun anywhere, and restricted licences, which let a person have the weapon only when engaged in particular activities like target shooting and hunting, or while travelling to and from their place of employment. 

The court’s judgement is considerably at odds with popular opinion.  

According to a comprehensive poll of the electorate conducted by AP VoteCast, about half of respondents in the 2020 presidential election said that the US should have stricter gun legislation. 

Only around 1 in 10 people argued for less stringent gun rules, while another third said the laws should be retained. 

According to VoteCast, about 8 out of 10 Democratic voters believe that gun rules should be tightened.  

Roughly half of the Republican voters said that laws should remain as they are, with the other half being evenly split between making laws more and less strict. 

Frosh quoted

“the judgement made today would result in additional casualties and suffering in a nation already plagued by gun violence. “

 

Joe Biden on this Issue 

US President Joe Biden expressed his grave disappointment with the Supreme Court’s decision on Thursday to overturn New York State’s a century-old ban on carrying a hidden weapon. 

The president added that the decision should greatly worry us all since it goes against both common sense and the Constitution. 

He further stated that, in light of recent mass shootings around the US, more action, not less, should be taken to restrict access to firearms. 

Biden urged states to go further and implement and enforce reasonable regulations to make their residents and communities safer from gun violence as Congress appeared likely to approve modest improvements to the nation’s gun laws. 

Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, criticised the US Supreme Court’s ruling in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen in a statement posted on Thursday. 

He said the decision increased the likelihood of gun violence for residents of New York. 

Adams said the city has taken steps to reduce the likelihood of gun violence in the city and will keep doing so.  

These steps include reviewing the procedures for defining licence applications and sensitive areas where weapons are prohibited. 

Members of Congress from New York responded to a state’s gun ban being invalidated by the Supreme Court on Thursday. 

Elise Stefanik, a US Representative, praised the decision and said it accurately ruled New York’s disgraceful attempt to restrict New Yorkers’ Second Amendment rights unlawful.  

US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand criticised the decision as being reckless and extremely risky. 

Amid a nationwide pandemic of gun violence, this court, the Democrat said, has made it even simpler for potentially dangerous individuals to carry concealed pistols in public places.