'Sensitive' gun-free zones poised to be next Second Amendment battlegroundA forthcoming Supreme Court ruling over New York's long-standing restrictive concealed carry gun law could prompt future debates over which areas lawmakers may attempt to deem "sensitive" gun-free zones, legal experts say.
When the high court heard oral arguments in November over New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, six Republican-appointed justices appeared skeptical of New York's law requiring residents to demonstrate a "proper cause" for obtaining a license to carry a concealed pistol or revolver.
While many law experts believe the conservative majority on the court is poised to rule against New York's law, South Texas College of Law Professor Josh Blackman told the Washington Examiner that Democratic state legislators could respond by making it "impossible" to carry firearms in specific sensitive locations throughout New York City.
"They'll designate basically every single place in New York City as a sensitive place ... no subway, no buildings, nowhere to go. We won't be able to carry within 100 feet of a school, which is virtually everywhere, right? They're gonna make it virtually impossible," Blackman said earlier this month.
The looming decision over New York's restrictive concealed carry regime could affect eight other states with similar laws, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. It also comes at a time when the United States is grappling with further incidents of traumatic gun violence that have prompted federal lawmakers to consider limited gun control measures.
Paul Clement, a former solicitor general in President George W. Bush's administration who argued the New York case on behalf of two plaintiffs who were denied a concealed carry license, described the difference between a "sensitive place law" and the state's concealed carry law as "fundamental."
"It is the difference between regulating a constitutionally protected activity and attempting to convert a fundamental constitutional right into a privilege that can only be enjoyed by those who can demonstrate to the satisfaction of a government official that they have an atypical need for the exercise right," Clement told the justices in November.....................
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/courts/sensitive-gun-free-zones-next-second-amendment-battleground
