The League for Sportsmen, Law Enforcement and Defense, aka ‘The League,’ praised the 6-3 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn New York’s discretionary concealed carry licensing regulations which have been used to effectively prohibit the carrying of firearms for self-defense outside the home for more than a century.

In the case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, the Court ruled that the Second Amendment recognizes the right to carry a firearm for self-defense outside the home and rejected New York’s “proper cause” requirement that demands those wishing to obtain a license to carry a firearm for self-defense demonstrate a sufficient need to carry a firearm.

“This is a huge victory for the Second Amendment and the American people, particularly for those in New York and the other remaining “may-issue” states that severely limit the right of individuals to carry a firearm outside the home, said James Fotis, president of the League. We were proud to file an amicus brief in this case supporting the petitioners.”

Today’s ruling by the court is the beginning of the end for discretionary, “may-issue” licensing schemes that require individuals to show “proper cause” or “good and substantial reason” to carry a firearm for self-defense.

Further, the Court rejected the standard of review that has been used by lower courts to uphold restrictions on the Second Amendment. In the opinion issued by the Court, Justice Thomas wrote “The constitutional right to bear arms in public for self-defense is not ‘a second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other Bill of Rights guarantees.’ We know of no other constitutional right that an individual may exercise only after demonstrating to government officers some special need. That is not how the First Amendment works when it comes to unpopular speech or the free exercise of religion. It is not how the Sixth Amendment works when it comes to a defendant’s right to confront the witnesses against him. And it is not how the Second Amendment works when it comes to public carry for self-defense.”