The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal to New York’s firearm restrictions that follow a 2022 ruling in which the court expanded gun rights by striking down previous limits on carrying concealed handguns in New York, Reuters reported.
The dispute revolved around the New York Concealed Carry Improvement Act, which was adopted following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision that affirmed the constitutional right to carry handguns in public for self-defense. The ruling established a more stringent test for gun laws, requiring them to align with the “nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.”
New York’s legislature passed the Concealed Carry Improvement Act in July 2022. The law, among other provisions, made it a crime to carry firearms in sensitive locations such as government buildings, schools, hospitals, theaters, and Times Square. It also set a requirement for applicants seeking concealed-carry licenses to demonstrate “good moral character” and use firearms in a manner that does not endanger themselves or others.
The Legal Challenge and Lower Court Rulings
According to the report, six New York residents, who either already held or were seeking concealed-carry licenses, challenged parts of the new law, particularly the restrictions on carrying firearms in sensitive locations. In 2022, District Judge Glenn Suddaby had initially blocked much of the law, but the decision was largely reversed in 2024 by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld the state’s regulations, the report said.
The plaintiffs then appealed to the Supreme Court, urging it to resolve a key legal question: whether courts should base their analysis of gun restrictions on historical references from 1791, when the Second Amendment was ratified, or if they should also consider later historical sources, such as those from 1868, when the 14th Amendment extended the Bill of Rights to the states.
The Supreme Court’s decision not to take up the case effectively lets the lower court’s ruling stand, maintaining New York’s restrictive gun laws.