New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen
The Court held that the Second Amendment protects a right to carry handguns in public, requiring history-based review of regulations.
Overview
New York required proper cause for a concealed carry license. Justice Thomas, for a 6-3 majority, held that the Second Amendment extends beyond the home, and gun regulations must be consistent with the nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation, replacing interest balancing with a purely historical test. Bruen invalidated restrictive licensing regimes in several states and launched a wave of litigation applying history-and-tradition analysis to modern gun laws, with courts reaching divergent results on historical analogy.
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