On Wednesday, the Supreme Court refused to block enforcement of a gun control law in New York as legal challenges surrounding it continue to play out.
The gun control law was pushed by Democrats, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling last summer striking down a state law that required state residents seeking a concealed carry permit to show “proper cause” for doing so.
According to The New York Times, the Concealed Carry Improvement Act (CCIA) was enacted eight days after the Court’s decision. The law outlaws concealed carry weapons in “sensitive locations,” such as churches and parks, and requires people seeking a permit to provide a list of their social media accounts as part of a “character test,” among other things. The law was immediately challenged by Second Amendment rights organizations and individuals. Judges have struck down certain portions of the law.
Now, a three judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit reinstated the law and ordered expedited briefing on the merits of the lower court decisions, The Times reported. The Supreme Court’s decision was whether to leave in place the 2nd Circuit’s decision or the decisions from the lower courts that blocked portions of the law.
And, gun owners and organizations filed an emergency request asking the justices to block enforcement of some provisions of the law because it violates the Second Amendment. The Supreme Court denied the request.
In a statement, Justice Samuel Alito said that the law presents “novel and serious questions” and that his understanding is that the court’s decision did not exemplify “any view on the merits” of the constitutional questions raised by the lawsuit, according to USA Today.
"Applicants should not be deterred by today's order from again seeking relief if the Second Circuit does not, within a reasonable time, provide an explanation for its stay order or expedite consideration of the appeal," Alito wrote in a statement with Justice Clarence Thomas.
This week, a federal judge temporarily blocked portions of a gun control law in New Jersey, which Townhall covered. In the judges ruling, she noted that the law raises “considerable constitutional problems.”
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