MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG)– The United States Supreme Court ruled Thursday in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen that New York’s requirement to obtain a concealed-carry license violates the Constitution.
The case concerned a law that forces concealed carry applicants to show a special need for the license beyond self-defense.
The Court stated that the requirement violates the Constitution “by preventing law-abiding citizens with ordinary self-defense needs from exercising their right to keep and bear arms in public.”
Tennessee was one of 25 states in an amicus brief supporting the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, according to the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office.
The brief discussed recent evidence showing that states with objective, shall-carry permits do not have higher crime rates than states with special-need requirements.
Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III expressed his support for Thursday’s ruling, stating:
“I commend the U.S. Supreme Court for recognizing the Constitutional right to bear arms in public for self-defense is not a ‘second class’ right. Law abiding Tennesseans can be assured they have a right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside their homes.”
The ruling comes after recent mass shootings including a deadly shooting that left 10 people dead at Top’s supermarket in Buffalo, New York, and a shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas that killed 19 students and 2 teachers.
In the decision, the Court said, “We know of no other constitutional right that an individual may exercise only after demonstrating to government officers some special need. That is not how the First Amendment works went it comes to unpopular speech or the free exercise of religion. ..And it is not how the Second Amendment works when it comes to public carry for self-defense.”
