NYSRPA v. Bruen: Supreme Court Rules Americans Have Right to Carry Firearms in Public

In June 2022, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen that New York's Sullivan Act requirement for concealed carry applicants to show "proper cause" was unconstitutional.

The Court held that the Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms in public, not just within the home. The decision established a new framework: when the Second Amendment's plain text covers an individual's conduct, the Constitution presumptively protects it. To justify regulation, the government must demonstrate the regulation is consistent with the nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation.

This ruling invalidated "may-issue" concealed carry licensing schemes in New York, California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, marking a major expansion of gun rights jurisprudence.