WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court left in doubt Monday whether gun owners have a Second Amendment right to carry a firearm in public.
Without a comment or dissent, the justices turned down a gun rights challenge to a New York law that strictly limits who can legally carry a weapon when they are on the streets. To obtain a "concealed carry" permit, New Yorkers must convince a county official that they have a "special need for protection" that goes beyond living or working in a high-crime area.
Only about one-tenth of 1 percent of New Yorkers have concealed carry permits, compared with more than 6 percent in the neighboring states of Connecticut and Pennsylvania, the court was told.
Several gun owners who were denied a concealed carry permit sued, arguing they had a Second Amendment right to carry a gun for self-defense.
Rather than hear their appeal, the high court let stand a ruling by a federal appeals court that held states have broad authority to regulate guns in public.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said the decision keeps in place the state's "sensible and effective regulations of concealed handguns. This is a victory for families across New York who are rightly concerned about the scourge of gun violence."
The court's refusal to hear an appeal doesn't set a legal precedent, and the justices do not explain their reasons for turning away a case.
For now, however, the reach of the Second Amendment right "to keep and bear arms" remains uncertain.
