In an historic Second Amendment decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a New York state law requiring “proper cause” for law-abiding gun owners to obtain a carry permit. The landmark case is New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen et al. CLICK HERE to read the decision (135-page PDF).

The Court’s 6-3 decision in NYSRPA v. Bruen was written by Justice Clarence Thomas. The majority ruled: “The Court holds that New York’s proper cause requirement to obtain a concealed carry license violates the Constitution by preventing law-abiding citizens with ordinary self-defense needs from exercising their Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms in public for self-defense”. Justices Breyer, Kagan, and Sotomayor dissented. SEE: Legal Analysis by The Federalist Society.

In the majority opinion of the Court, Justice Thomas concluded: “The constitutional right to bear arms in public for self defense is not ‘a second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other Bill of Rights guarantees’. We know of no other constitutional right that an individual may exercise only after demonstrating to government officers some special need. That is not how the First Amendment works when it comes to unpopular speech or the free exercise of religion. It is not how the Sixth Amendment works when it comes to a defendant’s right to confront the witnesses against him. And it is not how the Second Amendment works when it comes to public carry for self-defense.

New York’s proper-cause requirement violates the Fourteenth Amendment in that it prevents law-abiding citizens with ordinary self-defense needs from exercising their right to keep and bear arms. We therefore reverse the judgment of the Court of Appeals and remand the case for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.”

NOTE: This video was recorded BEFORE the NYRPA v. Bruen decision was released.