Proponents of gun reform reacted with outrage to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn a New York State handgun law that placed strict restrictions on carrying covert firearms out of the home. .
The decision could pave the way for almost any law-abiding American to bring hidden weapons to public places, even when gun death levels rise in the U.S.
President Joe Biden said he was “deeply disappointed.”
“This ruling contradicts both common sense and the constitution, and should concern us all deeply,” Biden said, urging states to pass gun control legislation.
“He calls on all Americans across the country to make their voices heard about gun safety. Lives are at stake.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul condemned the sentence as “reprehensible,” adding that “it could endanger millions of New Yorkers.”
“I am willing to reconvene the legislature to deal with it. We are looking at the dates,” Hochul said.
Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit organization that advocates for gun control, made a statement condemning the decision.
“We are currently doing a careful reading of the entire decision in NYSRPA v Bruen and will do a more detailed analysis later today,” he said on Twitter. “But the fact that the court ruled against New York makes it clear that he chose to put lives at risk and showed indifference to public safety.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James also commented on social media, noting that her office was reviewing the decision and that “it will continue to do everything in our power to protect New Yorkers from armed violence and preserve common sense weapons laws of our state. “
Many conservatives praised the decision as a protection of the right to bear arms. Lauren Boebert, a Republican representative from Colorado, celebrated with a tweet: “Scotus has just repealed New York’s unconstitutional gun law! Glory!”
U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, also praised the decision, tweeting, “While states like NY have tried to restrict your right to the second constitutional amendment through heavy laws and regulations, the ruling Today’s Supreme Court rightly guarantees the right to all laws, “allowing Americans to defend themselves without unnecessary government interference.”
The opinion of the Supreme Court comes with the country still tasting for several mass shootings.
Last month, an 18-year-old man with a legally purchased assault rifle shot and killed 10 people in a racist attack on a supermarket in a black-majority neighborhood of Buffalo, New York.
Less than two weeks later, another 18-year-old burst into Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and shot and killed 19 children and two adults, before being killed by law enforcement.