Newhouse Acts to Stop Gun Grab, Defends Constitution in Landmark Supreme Court Case

Press Release

In an effort to uphold the constitutionally-protected Second Amendment rights of all Americans, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) joined Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) and 174 other lawmakers in sending a joint amicus brief to the Supreme Court of the United States in support of the petitioners in the case of New York State Rifle and Pistol Association (NYSRPA) v. Corlett.

"The right to keep and bear arms is preserved in our Constitution. Carrying a firearm outside the home is part and parcel of these rights," said Rep. Newhouse. "The gun control measures being challenged in this case amounts to a blanket ban on the right to keep and bear arms outside the home. For rural communities like ours in Central Washington, it is particularly important that our Second Amendment rights are not directly and significantly restricted."

Background:

This amicus brief encourages the Supreme Court to reverse the decision of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in the Case of NYSRPA v. Corlett.

At issue in the case are state laws that unconstitutionally restrict the right to possess a firearm in public by requiring concealed carry applicants to justify their need for a permit.

In this case specifically, the Plaintiffs were denied concealed carry permits in New York because they failed to "demonstrate a special need for self-protection distinguishable from that of the general community or of persons engaged in the same profession," which is the standard under the state law, applied at the discretion of local law enforcement.

The plaintiffs filed suit in the Northern District of New York, where the court dismissed the case. On appeal, the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal. The Supreme Court granted a writ of certiorari on April 26, 2021.

The plaintiffs have asked the Court to determine "whether the Second Amendment allows the government to prohibit ordinary law-abiding citizens from carrying handguns outside the home for self-defense."

This is the first major Second Amendment case that the Court will hear in over a decade.

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