US Supreme Court allows New York to enforce new gun control laws

The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Democratic-led gun control law in New York. The latest ruling in favor of the law follows the high court’s striking down of the state’s limits on carrying concealed firearms last year.

The Supreme Court justices rejected an appeal filed by six members of the firearms advocate group Gun Owners of America on Wednesday, allowing New York to enforce a Democratic-backed Concealed Carry Improvement Act that was signed into law by the state’s Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul back on July 1 last year. The law came a week after the high court ruled against the concealed carry permit restriction.

The new law in New York expanded who could seek a license to carry firearms outside the home but required the applicants to establish that they have “good moral character” as well as undergo additional training and provide information about their social media accounts and people that they live with. The new law also established lists of “sensitive locations”, including places of worship, medical offices, public parks, and theaters where carrying a firearm would be a felony even for those who have a license.

One such place is New York’s Times Square.

New York Attorney General Letitia James praised the court’s decision to keep the law in place.

“Too many New Yorkers are plagued by gun violence, and we know that basic gun laws help save lives every day,” said James.

The plaintiffs argued that such a law was a violation of the 2nd Amendment in the US Constitution. A judge appointed by Republican President George W. Bush blocked enforcement for most of the law at the time, citing “unprecedented constitutional violations.” James requested the 2nd Circuit Court to issue a stay freezing the judge’s order as the state pursued an appeal.

The previous day, the justices tackled a labor dispute that could potentially narrow federal protections for unions which could make it easier for employers to sue over strikes that result in damage to company property.

The court heard arguments in an appeal by a Washington state concrete business Glacier Northwest Inc. of a lower court’s ruling that was in favor of a local affiliate of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in the firm’s lawsuit against the union stemming from a strike back in 2017.