SCOTUS rejects challenge to New York gun law

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The Supreme Court on Monday turned away a challenge to recently-enacted gun restrictions in New York, sidestepping a new case on the right to bear arms.

The law, which the court previously refused to put on hold, was enacted immediately after the justices expanded the right to carry a firearm outside the home in June 2022.

The decision leaves in place an October ruling by the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld key provisions while striking some down.

A ban on concealed firearms in “sensitive locations,” such as health care facilities, churches, parks, entertainment venues and other places where people gather, remains in effect. So does a provision that requires gun owners to show “good moral character” to obtain concealed carry licenses.

A prohibition on concealed firearms on private property that is generally open to the public remains blocked, as does a provision that requires people applying for concealed carry licenses to provide information about their social media accounts.

The Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling has led to a wave of both new restrictions being imposed in some states and court rulings that have struck down some longstanding gun laws. Both of these developments have led to a flurry of appeals at the court asking the justices to clarify the scope of the 2022 ruling.

The challenge was brought by Ivan Antonyuk and five other people who say they would like to carry firearms outside the home.

New York legislators passed their law banning firearms in many public places and stiffening permitting requirements a month after the Supreme Court struck down a century-old provision in New York that required gun owners who want to carry handguns outside their homes to prove that they have unique needs for self-defense.

The new law, called the Concealed Carry Improvement Act, also requires applicants to provide character references, contact information of family members and people they live with and information about their social media accounts.