By: Nina Gupta

On Thursday, June 23rd, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a New York gun restriction law because it was ruled unconstitutional.

According to CNN, the gun law was “enacted more than a century ago [and] place[d] restrictions on carrying a concealed handgun outside the home―an opinion marking the widest expansion of gun rights in a decade.” The gun restriction law requires residents to prove that they are buying the gun for protection and don’t intend use it in a mass shooting.

Even after mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo and the 277 reported mass shootings that have happened just this year, the Supreme Court maintained their stance that the right to “keep and bear arms” meant that Americans had the right to carry certain types of guns in public.

While delivering the majority opinion of the Supreme Court, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote, “We know of no other constitutional right that an individual may exercise only after demonstrating to government officers some special need.”

That same day, the U.S. Senate passed a new gun control legislation that would implement new measures on gun ownership. Among other things, these include more in-depth background checks for gun owners under 21 and makes straw purchases and gun trafficking criminal offenses.

Justice Breyer wrote a dissent with two other liberal justices on the Supreme Court. He emphasized the mass shooting issue throughout the nation, including the recent shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo. He argued that the Second Amendment provided states with the ability to address the issues posed by gun violence, and the Court’s ruling on the New York gun restriction law hindered their capability to do so.

President Joe Biden also expressed his dissatisfaction when he said, “This ruling contradicts both common sense and the Constitution and should deeply trouble us all.”

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