New Yorkers who want to buy ammunition or antique weapons will now have to go through a background check due to a new law, according to a report from CBS News New York.
Going forward, those trying to buy an antique gun will be charged a $9 background check fee. Those buying ammo will be charged $2.50. The money will reportedly be used to fund the state’s background check system.
Last year, New York lawmakers worked to enact several gun control measures after the Supreme Court struck down a state law that place restrictions on obtaining a permit.
The case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen. surrounded a law in the state that required permit applicants to show “proper cause” before they could be licensed to carry a concealed weapon. The ruling came down 6-3 with Justice Clarence Thomas penning the majority opinion. Thomas wrote that the Second Amendment should not be treated differently than other rights outlined in the Bill of Rights (via the United States Supreme Court):
The constitutional right to bear arms in public for self defense is not “a second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other Bill of Rights guarantees.” We know of no other constitutional right that an individual may exercise only after demonstrating to government officers some special need. That is not how the First Amendment works when it comes to unpopular speech or the free exercise of religion. It is not how the Sixth Amendment works when it comes to a defendant’s right to confront the witnesses against him. And it is not how the Second Amendment works when it comes to public carry for self defense. New York’s proper-cause requirement violates the Fourteenth Amendment in that it prevents law-abiding citizens with ordinary self-defense needs from exercising their right to keep and bear arms. We therefore reverse the judgment of the Court of Appeals and remand the case for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Bruen paved the way for several courts to strike down unconstitutional gun laws in states, including in Tennessee, Massachusetts, and West Virginia.
Late last year, a federal judge blocked the state of New York from enforcing part of a gun control law that bans firearms in places of worship. Townhall reported how a group of Jewish gun owners in Brooklyn, New York filed a lawsuit against it, arguing that it makes their community more susceptible to violent crime during worship and leaves them unable to defend themselves. In addition, two church leaders sued, arguing that the law violates the Second Amendment in the U.S. Constitution.
Democrats in the state have continued to try to undermine the Second Amendment, including hosting gun buyback events and blaming gun manufacturers for violent crime.