The Supreme Court has a chance to stop blue-state suppression of Second Amendment rights

In a landmark 2010 decision , the Supreme Court ruled that in addition to the federal government, states must also respect the public's individual constitutional right to bear arms. Yet the high court has neglected to take any more major Second Amendment cases in the decade since that would have further clarified the scope of this ruling, leading conservative Justice Clarence Thomas to dub the Second Amendment a “disfavored right.” As a result, many blue states have found ways to work around Supreme Court precedent and drastically restrict the ability of law-abiding people to carry firearms to protect themselves.

Yet, this could all soon change.

That is, if the Supreme Court makes the most of a case currently on its docket. The justices heard oral arguments on Wednesday in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen , a case that affords the court the opportunity to strike down cynical blue-state laws that are designed to, in practice, all but erase citizens’ constitutional right to bear arms outside the home. At question is New York’s process for granting concealed carry permits, which allow citizens to carry a firearm in public.

“The New York law at the center of the case … requires anyone who wants a license to carry a concealed handgun outside of the home to show ‘proper cause’ for the license,” SCOTUSBlog reports . “Courts in New York have defined ‘proper cause’ to require applicants to show a special need to defend themselves. For instance, a person who has been the target of recurrent physical threats likely would qualify. But a general desire to protect oneself or one’s property is not enough to obtain an unrestricted license to carry a concealed handgun.” (Emphasis mine.)