Supreme Court Rules Second Amendment Protects Right to Carry Handgun for Self-Defense Outside Home

The Supreme Court ruling was in connection with a New York state law on guns, with the justices’ ultimate decision coming down to a 6-3 split.

June 23, 2022

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The U.S. Supreme Court said Thursday that the Second Amendment protects, in the words of Justice Clarence Thomas, “an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home.”

Per a report from the Associated Press, the decision was in response to a New York state law that required the demonstration of a “proper cause” before getting a permit to carry a gun in public. Gun enthusiasts had been critical of the state law and even sued, arguing the aforementioned requirement had made it difficult for everyday people to get such a license. Namely, two New York residents who said their applications for unrestricted licenses were denied after failing to meet the “proper cause” requirement had taken legal action against state officials.

In prior cases, Thomas wrote in Thursday’s opinion, the court had “recognized” that the Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect the possession of handguns in the home for self-defense.

“In this case, petitioners and respondents agree that ordinary, law-abiding citizens have a similar right to carry handguns publicly for their self-defense,” Thomas said. “We too agree, and now hold … that the Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home.”

In other words, the argument here, despite everything, is for an expansion of so-called “gun rights.”

Read the full court decision here.

Shortly after its release, New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued a response, saying the ruling marked a “reckless” and “reprehensible” move.

“Today, the Supreme Court is sending us backwards in our efforts to protect families and prevent gun violence,” Hochul said, adding that it’s “particularly painful” this is happening while so many families are mourning the lives lost in recent mass shootings.

“Does everyone understand what a concealed weapon means? … This could place millions of New Yorkers in harm’s way,” she said. The “insanity" of gun culture, Hochul added, has now permeated the Supreme Court.