In a series of rulings on Thursday, The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a New York gun law that places restrictions on carrying concealed guns, and limited the ability to enforce Miranda rights.
The New York concealed gun law, enacted more than a century ago, requires that applicant demonstrates a valid reason for carrying a concealed firearm. But the conservative justices said it violates the constitution, CNN reports.
“Because the State of New York issues public-carry licenses only when an applicant demonstrates a special need for self-defense, we conclude that the State’s licensing regime violates the Constitution,” Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the opinion in the 6-3 decision, according to CNN.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Thursday’s Supreme Court decision “severely undermines public safety not just in New York City, but around the country.”
As noted by the news network, “the majority opinion changed the framework that lower courts will use going forward as they analyze other gun restrictions, including potentially the proposals currently before Congress if they eventually become law.”
The ruling comes amid recurring mass shootings across the US in the past few months, including one on the New York City subway.
In another decision on Thursday, the conservative majority cut back individual’s protections against self-incrimination by limiting the ability to enforce Miranda rights, ruling that suspects who are not warned about their right to remain silent cannot sue a police officer for damages under federal civil rights law even if the evidence was ultimately used against them in their criminal trial.
The ruling also means that the failure to administer the Miranda rights will not expose a law enforcement officer to potential damages in a civil lawsuit. It will not impact, however, the exclusion of such evidence at a criminal trial.