NEW YORK — On Monday, the United States Supreme Court chose not to hear a challenge against New York state’s gun regulations, which restrict firearms in designated “sensitive” areas and necessitate handgun owners to demonstrate “good moral character.” The justices did not provide any reasoning for their decision to decline the case.
This decision effectively sustains a prior ruling by an appeals court that upheld certain sections of the legislation while invalidating others. In the previous decision, the appeals court permitted New York to continue enforcing rules that ban firearms in certain sensitive locations, including public transportation, hospitals, and educational institutions, and demand that handgun owners showcase “good moral character.”
However, the appeals court invalidated the mandate for applicants seeking a handgun license to disclose their social media profiles and also ruled that the state cannot impose a part of the law making it unlawful to carry a concealed weapon on private property without explicit consent from the owner.
Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul expressed her approval of the Supreme Court’s move not to entertain the challenge, emphasizing that “New York’s strong gun safety laws save lives.”
In 2022, the Supreme Court overturned New York’s earlier gun laws, which had limited the carrying of firearms outside the home to individuals who could prove a specific need for personal protection. To address this, New York legislators developed new regulations allowing broader access to handgun licenses while instituting fresh constraints on the locations where firearms could be brought.
Erich Pratt, the senior vice president of the Gun Owners of America, a lobbying group involved in the lawsuit, expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court’s choice not to review the case. He stated, “While we are disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision not to take this case, we will never stop fighting to defend the rights of gun owners across the country.”