'Good moral character' requirement in NY concealed carry law has racist roots, 2A groups say

New York says its history of racist laws that allowed for disarming Catholics and Indigenous people supports a “good moral character” requirement for obtaining a concealed carry license, a point that Second Amendment groups see as a bad-faith argument for gun control.

The requirement is part of the Concealed Carry Improvement Act that Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) signed in July and marks the first major attempt to defend the state’s notorious gun restrictions after the Supreme Court struck down the state’s similarly subjective “good reason” clause in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen earlier this summer.