On Thursday, the Supreme Court released its ruling on New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen that protects the 2nd amendment right to keep and bear arms. In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court struck down a 108-year-old NY gun law that required “proper cause” to carry a concealed weapon.  

New York’s Sullivan Act made it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for average New Yorkers to obtain a concealed carry permit. The proper cause mandate required gun owners to prove a special need for a firearm that was “distinguishable from that of the general community.” Thus, under the Sullivan’s act, the only New Yorkers permitted to carry firearms are those with increased security risks, such as celebrities and politicians, like NYC mayor Eric Adams.  

While this case specifically dealt with the New York’s Sullivan Act, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen has implications for the entire country, particularly the blue states. The 6-3 decision will impact similar gun laws in states like California, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Delaware.  

Justice Clarence Thomas majority opinion called into question the constitutionality of the Sullivan Act in the following:  

The exercise of other constitutional rights does not require individuals to demonstrate to government officers some special need. The Second Amendment right to carry arms in public for self-defense is no different. New York’s proper-cause requirement violates the Fourteenth Amendment by preventing law-abiding citizens with ordinary self-defense needs from exercising their right to keep and bear arms in public.

Thomas opinion declares the Sullivan Act is unconstitutional because it conditions an inalienable right with special qualifiers. If a law only allowed individuals to exercise free speech by proving they had some special need, it would of course be considered unconstitutional and tyrannical by all Americans and legal scholars. Therefore, second amendment rights, and all other rights, are not second-class rights that can be wildly infringed.