The Supreme Court on Monday heard arguments in a case over a New York City rule restricting the transportation of licensed handguns. The first major Second Amendment gun control case to reach the high court since 2010.
Brought on by three gun owners who live in New York City and the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association (NYSRPA), the case centers around a regulation that outlawed transporting a handgun from inside the city to outside the city, even if the weapon is licensed, locked, and unloaded. That means licensed handgun owners could not legally carry their guns to a vacation home, shooting ranges, or competition locations outside of the city limits.
The plaintiffs first challenged NYC's handgun regulation in 2013. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, however, ruled in 2018 that the regulation did not violate their Second Amendment rights.
The NYC officials urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the lawsuit all together as the challenge became irrelevant after the laws changed. The argument was welcomed by some Democrat-appointed justices including Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor.
Justice Samuel Alito, however, did not seem to agree that the plaintiffs got exactly what they wanted.
"They wanted a declaration that the old law was unconstitutional, period," said Justice Alito. "And what they have obtained as a result of the new city ordinance and the new state law is a rule that says, yes, you can take the firearm to a firing range outside of New York City, but it must be a direct trip."
A decision from the justices is expected by the end of June 2020.