The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear oral arguments next term about whether New York State violated the Second Amendment when they denied concealed-carry licenses for self-defense – a ruling which could have massive nationwide implications.
The case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Keith M. Corlett, will determine if New York’s “denial of petitioners’ applications for concealed-carry licenses for self-defense violated the Second Amendment.”
New York bans open carry of handguns but allows for the concealed carry of handguns with a license, so long as applicants can prove “proper cause” exists. The state is a “may-issue” state, and licenses are issued at the local level by the county sheriff or court system.
The case began when Robert Nash and Brandon Koch applied for a concealed carry permit in Rensselaer County. Both applications were denied after the licensing officer determined they each “failed to show ‘proper cause’ to carry a firearm in public for the purpose of self-defense, because [they] did not demonstrate a special need for self-defense that distinguished [them] from the general public.”
