The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that New York’s century-old concealed carry handgun law violates the Second Amendment, a finding long feared by local officials who viewed the law as a linchpin in efforts to curb the proliferation of pistols on New York City streets.
The 6-3 decision, which is the court’s most significant gun rights ruling in more than a decade, rejected the state’s Sullivan Act, a regulation that limited concealed carry handgun licenses to New Yorkers with specific defense needs.
The court’s conservative majority was widely expected to gut the gun law after hinting at their opposition during oral arguments in the fall. But the decision in the case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, landed a blow to New York Democrats and promised swift political outcry from Brooklyn to Buffalo and beyond.
