N.Y Gov. Hochul vows special Albany session to address Supreme Court concealed-carry ruling
ALBANY — Gov. Hochul and legislative leaders vowed to take action Thursday after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 100-year-old New York law limiting who can carry a concealed handgun in public.
The nation’s highest court, in a 6-3 ruling, determined that the law requiring those applying for a license to show “proper cause” to carry a gun violates the Constitution.
Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the majority, said that the Constitution protects “an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home.”
New York Governor speaks about the Supreme Court overturning a New York law limiting concealed weapons before a ceremony to sign Alyssa's Law on June 23, 2022 in Manhattan. A copy of the court's decision is in the governor's hand. (Barry Williams/)
Hochul, speaking moments after the decision was made public, described the ruling as “reprehensible” and said she was already working to reconvene the state Legislature to address the issue.
“We do not need people entering our subways, our restaurants, our movie theaters with concealed weapons,” the governor said. “This could place millions of New Yorkers in harm’s way.”
While the Supreme Court decision does not mean those who have a regular pistol permit can go out and carry a weapon in public, it does make it easier to get a concealed carry license.
Hochul says the state is considering new laws that will focus on restricting on guns in “sensitive locations,” such as the subway, and changing the permitting process.
Lawmakers could be called back to Albany sometime next month, she added.
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) said the Democrat-led Legislature is ready to address the issue.
“Today’s decision reinforces the fact that states must step up to protect our citizens’ best interests and lead the way on necessary reform,” she said. “In these devastating times, when the nation is reeling from mass shootings that have shaken Americans to their core, we must stand united to address the laws that keep allowing guns to fall into the wrong hands.
“New York will rise up to this latest challenge to pass additional gun safety legislation,” she added.
The decision came down as Hochul was preparing to sign Alyssa’s Law, a bill passed by the Legislature earlier this year that will require New York school districts to consider installing silent panic alarms and other direct links to law enforcement agencies.
New York Governor signs Alyssa's Law on June 23, 2022 in Manhattan. (Barry Williams/)
The measure is named in honor of Alyssa Alhadeff, who was killed in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in 2018.
Hochul recently signed a broader sweeping package of gun control measures in response to a pair of horrific mass shootings.
Last month, an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at a school in Uvalde, Texas, days after 10 people were shot to death at a supermarket in Buffalo.
New York’s strict concealed-carry law has been on the books since 1913. Essentially, for a gun owner to carry a concealed handgun in public they had to demonstrate “proper cause” and a specific need for self-defense when applying for a license.
Terri, left, and David Robinovitz and Linda Beigel Schulman and her husband Michael pose with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul after the signing of Alyssa's Law on June 23, 2022 in Manhattan. (Barry Williams/)
Thomas wrote that the law “violates the 14th Amendment by preventing law-abiding citizens with ordinary self-defense needs from exercising their right to keep and bear arms in public.”
“When the Second Amendment’s plain text covers an individual’s conduct, the Constitution presumptively protects that conduct,” he added. “The government must then justify its regulation by demonstrating that it is consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.”
The Supreme Court’s decision will impact not just the Empire State. Several other states, including neighboring New Jersey, have similar licensing requirements.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) said while he and other Empire State elected officials will take up new measures in the coming weeks in response to the ruling, lawmakers at the federal level must do more.
“This nation must open its eyes and begin a serious conversation about its dangerous fascination with guns and assault weapons. Our lives depend on it,” he said.
