“It is the right of every American citizen to carry a gun in self-defense,” the court said. The decision sparked intense reactions. One month passed since the last school massacre in the USA, which killed 19 children and two teachers, the Supreme Court’s decision sparked controversy.
The Supreme Court rejected the toughening of the gun law in New York state by a vote of six judges to three. The court ruled that it is every American citizen’s “right” to carry a gun for self-defense in public places.
The regulation enacted in New York state required proof of a specific need for self-defense in order to obtain a gun license. The Supreme Court ruled that the regulation violated two additional articles of the constitution. Similar regulations were enacted in other states, such as California, outside of New York.
Biden’s ‘big disappointment’ statement
While the NRA, the effective gun lobby of the USA, which brought the legal regulation in the state to the judiciary, celebrated its victory, President Joe Biden announced that he was “great disappointment” with the Supreme Court decision. Biden pledged to completely ban the sale of infantry rifles to private individuals during his election campaign.
“This decision contradicts both the healthy human mind and the constitution and should worry us deeply,” Biden said. With the appointment of three judges by Biden’s successor, Donald Trump, the balance of power in the Supreme Court shifted to 6-to-3 Republicans.
New York Governor: A black day
Kathy Hochul, the Democratic Party Governor of New York state, said that the court decision was “absolutely shocking” and that “states have taken away the right to make reasonable restrictions” and reacted “Today is a black day”.
The state of New York had recently changed its gun law, enacted in 1913, after a shooting at a supermarket that killed ten people.
Victory description from gun lobby
The National Arms Association (NRA), the influential and controversial gun lobby in the US, said in a statement on social media after the Supreme Court decision, “Today’s decision is a landmark achievement for good men and good women across America, and it is a decades-long NRA-led decision. “The right to self-defense, the right to protect your family and loved ones should not end at your doorstep,” he said.
The NRA drew intense criticism for not adjourning its annual meeting after the shooting at a Texas elementary school that killed 19 children and two teachers, and convened just three days after the massacre.
Over 200 million firearms have been released in the United States over the past two decades, most of them assault rifles and pistols. The number of murders, mass attacks and suicides in the country has been increasing for years. In 2020 alone, firearms killed 45,222 American citizens.
AFP/BK,TY