The United States Supreme Court on Monday accepted an appeal from the powerful NRA gun lobby and its ruling could weigh on the ability of authorities to regulate the carrying of firearms outside the home.
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The high court, which has six out of nine conservative magistrates, will look in the fall on a New York law challenged by the local branch of the National Rifle Association and two gun owners. Under this century-old law, the State of New York granted permits to carry weapons to these two men but only to go to shooting ranges or to hunt, and not for purposes of self-defense. After losing in federal courts, they appealed to the Supreme Court. The latter announced on Monday that it would accept their appeal but would only answer one question: "
Does the state's refusal to grant the plaintiffs permits to carry concealed weapons for self-defense purposes violate the second amendment
Of the Constitution? This amendment, which is the subject of divergent interpretations, states that "since
a well-organized militia is necessary for the security of a free state, the right of the people to hold and bear arms will not be violated.
".
For supporters of firearms, it guarantees a right to carry weapons for every citizen. Others, however, consider that the authors of the Constitution only wanted to protect the right to possess and use weapons within the framework of a force of maintenance of order, like the army or the police force. In a landmark 2008 ruling, the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects the right to own a gun at home. But it had left it to cities and states to regulate transport outside the home, which explains the existence of great disparities in the country. Despite many requests, she has since stayed away from this very delicate subject. But the Court was radically reshaped by Donald Trump who, during his tenure in the White House,appointed three of its judges, chosen for their conservative views believed to be favorable to gun owners. This news makes supporters of a better regulation of arms fear an extensive reading of the second amendment to the Constitution, which would remove the restrictions adopted locally.
The high court ruling could also thwart the plans of Democratic President Joe Biden who, after a series of deadly shootings, has reiterated his desire to toughen gun laws in the United States. More than 43,000 people were killed by guns in 2020, including suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive website.