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A Second Amendment case currently rising through the justice system could be headed all the way for the Supreme Court. The case questions New York City’s draconian gun laws, and if the pro-Second Amendment plaintiffs are successful, the ruling could have far reaching implications on gun laws in many states. Sarah Quinlan reports on the case at The Heartland Institute, writing:
Attorneys General from 15 states and two governors signed a legal brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear arguments in a federal lawsuit challenging a New York City ordinance restricting the transportation of firearms in the city.
A New York City ordinance enacted in 2001 requires anyone who wants to take their government-licensed firearm out of their home to obtain a separate “carry” license, in addition to having permission to keep the firearm in the residence.
The New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, a Second Amendment advocacy group, filed a federal lawsuit against the city in the U.S. District Court Southern District of New York in 2013 on behalf of Romolo Colantone, a New York City resident and licensed firearm owner affected by the ordinance.
Federal Judge Robert Sweet, appointed by President Jimmy Carter, heard the case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc., et al. v City of New York, New York, et. al., and ruled against Colantone in 2013. Lawyers representing Colantone appealed the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 2015, which upheld the ruling in 2018.
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry filed an amicus brief on October 9, 2018 calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the case. Attorneys General from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin cosigned the brief, as did the governors of Mississippi and Kentucky.
Read more here.
