A Second Amendment case that could be one of the most influential in years is headed for the Supreme Court. 

• It’s about a New York law: After the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012, the state created a law that allowed concealed carry only for people with “good moral character” who provide “proper cause.” 

• The NRA attacked the law as too vague and arbitrary: But two federal courts have ruled the law should stand. In accepting the case, the Supreme Court said it would decide on the steps the government can take in prohibiting the use of firearms outside the home. 

Conservative justices have been waiting for a case like this

The last big rulings on the Second Amendment were in 2008 and 2010, and they essentially upheld the rights to hold firearms at home. Yet Clarence Thomas complained in 2018 his fellow justices had made the Second Amendment a “constitutional orphan.” Last year, Brett Kavanaugh said he wanted the court to take up gun rights. 

The Verdict

Oral arguments are slated for the fall. Expect it to be one of the highest-profile cases of the year.