What You Should Know About the Supreme Court’s Major Case on Gun Rights

gun control

Illustration by Katie Couric Media

The decision could have reverberating effects across the country.

Is gun regulation about to change? The Supreme Court just heard New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, its first guns rights case in more than a decade — and it’s one that could affect the way state and local officials impose firearm restrictions. Here’s what you need to know. 

What’s the argument?

The court is examining a challenge by two gun owners and an affiliate of the National Rifle Association to a New York state law that restricts the ability to carry a handgun outside the home for self-defense. Under the state’s “proper cause law” that has been in place since 1913, New Yorkers applying for a concealed weapon must show they have a special need for such a permit, as officials don’t allow those permits solely out of the desire for self-defense. While other states, like California and Massachusetts, have similar “may issue” laws, the challengers say New York’s statute is far too restrictive. 

What did each side say? 

While former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement maintained that the right to carry guns outside the home is a “fundamental, constitutional right,” New York Solicitor General Barbara Underwood said this move would have “devastating consequences for public safety.” Last up in Wednesday’s oral arguments was Principal Deputy Solicitor General Brian H. Fletcher, who voiced support for the New York gun law and urged the court to defer to a long history of similar restrictions.

How did the Supreme Court react?

After nearly two hours of arguments, the conservative-leaning court seemed supportive of Americans carrying a handgun outside the home for self-defense and appeared ready to strike down the New York law restricting the ability to do so. But several justices also expressed concern about allowing those with concealed weapons in crowded areas like stadiums. 

What are advocates saying?

Former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was nearly fatally shot at a public meeting in 2011, rallied with fellow gun violence survivors on the steps of the Supreme Court, and called on the justices to uphold the New York gun law restricting people from carrying concealed handguns outside the home for self-defense. “We will not stop fighting for a future free from violence,” she tells us.

But as far as what the high court will ultimately decide? That’s still TBD, but a decision is expected this summer.