The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a firearms law restricting the carrying of firearms in New York. Judge Clarence Thomas wrote that the constitution protects “the individual’s right to carry a gun for self-defense outside the home.”
Big win for gun owners in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned the gun law banning walking around with open arms in New York, the judges’ decision by a 6-3 majority is expected to eventually allow more people to carry guns legally on the streets of major cities in the state – including New York , Los Angeles and Boston – and elsewhere. About a quarter of the U.S. population lives in states that are expected to be affected by the ruling.
Judge Clarence Thomas wrote that the Constitution protects the “right of the individual to carry a gun for self-defense outside the home.” In their decision, the judges overturned a New York law requiring people to demonstrate a particular need to carry a gun in order to obtain a license to carry one in public. The judges said the requirement violates the Second Amendment right to “possess a weapon.”
Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online. The decision comes at a time when gun violence has risen. New York law that has been in place since 1913 states that in order to carry a gun in public, a person applying for a license must show a “proper reason,” or a “specific need” to carry the weapon.