The Supreme Court yesterday vacated four appeals court decisions upholding gun control laws, remanding the cases for reconsideration in light of its decision last week in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. The remanded cases involve Hawaii's restrictions on carrying guns for self-defense, California's 10-round magazine limit, a similar New Jersey law, and Maryland's "assault weapon" ban.
In Bruen, the Court said New York's restrictions on carrying concealed handguns in public, which required "proper cause" for a permit, violated the Second Amendment. The majority opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas, which was joined by five other justices, also clarified the constitutional test for gun regulations, rejecting "interest-balancing" standards in favor of a historical approach that asks whether a challenged law is analogous to restrictions that have traditionally been viewed as consistent with the right to keep and bear arms.
