The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a 100-year-old law in New York that severely restricts obtaining a license to carry a concealed handgun.
The ruling marks the first significant Second Amendment decision by the Court in more than a decade.
It also comes as a bipartisan group of Senators (including 14 Republicans) have been working this week to pass a gun control law that includes ‘red flag’ incentives and other restrictions on purchasing firearms.
🚨BREAKING: Supreme Court rules that New York’s strict limits on the concealed carry of firearms in public violates the Second Amendment.
Huge 2A win.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) June 23, 2022
The existing New York law requires an applicant to show “proper cause” for seeking a license, leaving bureaucrats to decide whether or not the applicant is worthy of exercising their Second Amendment rights. Simply expressing a desire to protect the individual or their property was not enough.
Justice Clarence Thomas, in writing the majority opinion, states “ordinary, law-abiding citizens have a similar right to carry handguns publicly for their self-defense.”
“Because the State of New York issues public-carry licenses only when an applicant demonstrates a special need for self-defense, we conclude that the State’s licensing regime violates the Constitution,” Thomas added.
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The conservative justice also used the Fourteenth Amendment in his arguments.
From Justice Thomas: “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.”https://t.co/v3SeHJeBwP
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) June 23, 2022
RELATED: After Giving Democrats Enough Gun Control Votes, Cornyn Reportedly Says Immigration Is Next
Liberals Outraged Over Supreme Court’s Concealed Carry Ruling
As you might imagine, liberal reaction to the Supreme Court ruling that New York’s concealed carry restrictions are unconstitutional ranged from the wacky to ‘everybody is going to die.’
On that note, here is Marianne Williamson, author and one-time gadfly Democratic presidential candidate, who surmised: “People will die because of this.”
Williamson also argues this was less about the Second Amendment and more about property rights. Whatever that means.
People will die because of this.
And to be very clear, they’re not doing this to protect the 2nd Amendment. They’re doing it to protect the primacy of property rights. That’s why so many millions of $ were spent getting them onto the Court to begin with. https://t.co/RwnR50qG4e
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) June 23, 2022
Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann, not exactly known throughout the media industry for his measured and thoughtful remarks, urged extreme measures.
Like ‘dissolving’ the Supreme Court.
It has become necessary to dissolve the Supreme Court of the United States.
The first step is for a state the “court” has now forced guns upon, to ignore this ruling.
Great. You’re a court? Why and how do think you can enforce your rulings?#IgnoreTheCourt
— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) June 23, 2022
CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin of ToobinGate fame practically wept as he explained the Supreme Court ruling definitely “expands the Second Amendment right.”
He claimed that the Court wants to make the Second Amendment “a first-class right like the First Amendment.”
It’s unclear what he means by “first-class right,” as if the Second Amendment or the Fourteenth Amendment are lesser in importance. There aren’t first-class or second-class rights, only unalienable rights.
Toobin also fretted that the Supreme Court ruling on concealed carry in New York would mean any attempts at gun regulation would be wiped out.
“Any sort of regulation that tells people what kind of gun you can carry and where you can carry it as long as you say you are doing it for self-defense — it is very hard for me to imagine how many of those could be upheld anymore,” Toobin explained.
CNN Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin is not happy with SCOTUS’ Second Amendment ruling. pic.twitter.com/SYP6kN0dbE
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 23, 2022
Then, there was this impressive hot take from Supreme Court lawyer and law professor, Neal Katyal, suggesting the only way for the court to remain consistent is to rule similarly on the “constitutional right to obtain an abortion,” something that doesn’t exist anywhere.
Gonna be very weird if Supreme Court ends a constitutional right to obtain an abortion next week, saying it should be left to the States to decide, right after it just imposed a constitutional right to concealed carry of firearms, saying it cannot be left to the States to decide
— Neal Katyal (@neal_katyal) June 23, 2022
Columnist Auron MacIntyre compiled his own list of the worst left-wing meltdowns to the ruling. Here is a brief smattering of select unhinged reactions:
— Auron MacIntyre (@AuronMacintyre) June 23, 2022
— Auron MacIntyre (@AuronMacintyre) June 23, 2022
/10 pic.twitter.com/r2wgMkh9Dc
— Auron MacIntyre (@AuronMacintyre) June 23, 2022
/19 pic.twitter.com/BNSPDxvHeb
— Auron MacIntyre (@AuronMacintyre) June 23, 2022
RELATED: MAGA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Tells Pro-Gun Control British Reporter ‘Go Back to Your Country’
New York Governor Threatens to Return State to a Time of Muskets
Perhaps the worst response to the Supreme Court ruling on New York’s concealed carry law came from the governor of the Empire State herself.
Kathy Hochul threatened to strip New Yorkers of their Second Amendment rights and turn the clock back on guns by restricting everybody to muskets.
“I’m sorry this dark day has come,” a saddened Hochul declared.
“That we’re supposed to go back to what was in place since 1788 when the Constitution of United States America was ratified. And I would like to point out to the Supreme Court justices that the only weapons at that time were muskets,” she added.
“I’m prepared to go back to muskets.”
KATHY HOCHUL: “I would like to point out to the Supreme Court justices, that the only weapons at that time were muskets. I’m prepared to go back to muskets.” pic.twitter.com/xGoYKGE6g0
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 23, 2022
It’s the kind of comment that, in a sane world, would see Hochul immediately impeached or forced to resign. Threatening law-abiding New Yorkers with having their Second Amendment rights squashed should never be tolerated.
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