Debangana Ray
Published on June 24, 2022 at 18:58 IST
In a major expansion of Gun rights after a series of Mass shootings, the Supreme Court said that Americans have the right to carry firearms in public for self defense. The decision came as Congress and states debate gun-control legislation.
About one-quarter of the US Population is expected to be affected. The court’s first major gun decision in a decade, split the court 6-3 with the conservatives in the majority and the liberals in dissent.
President Biden in a statement said that he was deeply disappointed by the ruling. He stated that it “contradicts both common sense and the Constitution, and should deeply trouble us all”. He urged the states to pass new laws.
The Supreme Court ruling stated that the New York law which mandates having a license in order to carry firearms is violative of the second amendment right to “keep and bear arms”.
Gun control groups called the decision a significant setback. The decision is said to be the biggest expansions of gun rights in US history. Governor Kathy Hochul stated that “This decision isn’t just reckless. It’s reprehensible. It’s not what New Yorkers want.”
On the other hand, Republican Lawmakers were cheering the decision. However, the decision is somewhat out of step with public opinion. According to AP VoteCast, an expansive survey revealed that only 1 in 10 said gun laws should be less strict. However, about 8 in 10 democratic voters stated that gun laws should be made more strict.
Some restrictions are that the State can still require people to get a license to carry a gun and condition that license on “fingerprinting, a background check, a mental health records check and training in firearms handling and in laws regarding the use of force, among other possible requirements.”
The Supreme Court had last issued a major gun decision in 2010. In that decision and a ruling from 2008, the court had established a nationwide right to keep a gun at home for self-defense.