The White House expressed disappointment with the Supreme Court‘s striking down of a New York concealed carry law and repeated calls for “commonsense gun regulation” during Thursday’s press briefing.
The court ruled earlier in the day that a long-standing New York concealed carry law violated the Second Amendment of the Constitution in a ruling that was quickly rebuked by Gov. Kathy Hochul and fellow Democrats.
SUPREME COURT RULES NEW YORK’S STRICT CONCEALED CARRY LAW IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre echoed the criticisms when asked about the ruling and whether or not the conservative-leaning court could strike down any new federal gun laws.
“We are disappointed by the Supreme Court’s ruling today,” she said. “The Second Amendment, as you’ve heard the president say, is not absolute, and it permits commonsense gun regulation.”
Justice Clarence Thomas authored the 6-3 ruling that reversed a lower court decision upholding New York’s 108-year-old law that limited who can obtain a license to carry a concealed handgun in public.
The high court heard arguments over the case New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen in November, when justices in the 6-3 Republican-appointed majority appeared skeptical of the law’s requirement to demonstrate a “proper cause” for obtaining a license to carry a concealed pistol or revolver.
President Joe Biden himself said he’s deeply disappointed with the ruling, and the White House released a statement of administration policy saying the White House “strongly supports passage” of the bipartisan gun reform bill moving through the Senate.
A bipartisan group of Senate negotiators have released the text of their federal bill to combat gun violence following a string of recent mass shootings, including one at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he expects to pass the bill this week. The bill has also attracted the support of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
Jean-Pierre, while also promoting the federal legislation, defended New York’s law, saying it has been in place since 1911 and imposed “only a modest burden on most gun owners.”
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“Despite the setbacks, the president earlier urged states to continue to enact and enforce commonsense laws to make their citizens and communities safer for gun violence,” said Jean-Pierre. “As it relates to what’s happening in Congress right now, we think that’s separate and apart. Clearly, that is a bipartisan effort. The president is encouraged by what he is seeing. The cloture vote happened today, so it’s moving along in the right direction.”
