Feinstein Statement on Supreme Court Concealed Carry Decision

Press Release

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement on the Supreme Court's decision in NYSRPA v. Bruen that overturns New York's "proper cause" requirement to receive a permit to carry a concealed weapon:

"By striking down a century-old New York law requiring "proper cause' to carry a concealed weapon, the Supreme Court's conservative majority has weakened gun safety laws in eight states covering a quarter of the U.S. population. This decision could put lives at risk, and that should be of deep concern to everyone.

"The court's decision expands the interpretation of the Second Amendment far beyond precedent, and its effect will be to prevent states from implementing commonsense licensing procedures to prevent gun violence.

"In addition to overturning New York's concealed carry law, this decision also puts in jeopardy similar concealed carry laws in California and six other states. It means more people will carry guns in bars, in shopping malls, in churches, hospitals, movie theaters, even schools. This isn't the way to save lives.

"In the decision, Justice Thomas writes that our gun laws must be "consistent with this Nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation.' If New York's 100-year-old concealed carry law isn't sufficiently grounded in historical tradition, how old must a law be to meet that standard?

"Most importantly, studies have concluded that when states weaken the permitting process for buying guns, violent crime increases, including homicides. In the wake of two massacres last month in Buffalo and Uvalde, we must do more to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, not less. This decision is a step in the wrong direction."

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