Kentucky joins 26 others in arguing against NY gun licensure rule

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ/Press Release) – Attorney General Daniel Cameron joined a coalition of 26 states arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court that a New York law violates the Second Amendment.

The states filed an amicus brief in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Corlett, urging the court to declare New York’s firearm licensure unconstitutional.

To obtain a permit to carry a firearm outside the home, the State of New York requires citizens to “demonstrate a special need for self-protection distinguishable from that of the general community or of persons engaged in the same profession.”

The coalition argues New York’s subjective-issue carry laws harm public safety and are contrary to the original public meaning of the Second Amendment.

In the brief, the attorneys general cite examples of citizens in good legal standing who were denied carry permits after demonstrating a need, proving New York’s “proper cause” requirement instead serves as a de facto ban for virtually all ordinary citizens.

The attorneys general argue if the Supreme Court upholds the Second Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision, it will threaten the liberty of citizens in every state.

The coalition of Attorneys General also explains that the original public meaning of the Second Amendment allows citizens to bear arms for self-defense outside their home.

Citing SCOTUS’s Heller v. D.C. decision, the coalition argues, “[i]n Heller, following the text and history of the Second Amendment, this Court held that the federal constitution ‘guarantee[s] the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation.’”

Further, the Heller decision made clear any prohibition that “makes it impossible for citizens” to engage in self-defense violates the Second Amendment.

Attorney General Cameron joined the Arizona- and Missouri-led brief alongside the Attorneys General of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.