GOC Files 2nd “Friend of the Court” Brief in a Week with the Supreme Court
Gun Owners of California is proud to continue our “friend of the court” wrangler status with a second amicus filing in less than a week. GOC is bringing the voice of law enforcement and other state firearm groups before the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), asking the court to determine whether the 2nd Amendment allows the government to prohibit ordinary law-abiding citizens from carrying handguns outside the home for self-defense. This case (NYSRPA v Corlett) presents an issue of exceptional importance because some states virtually eliminate the right to carry outside the home.
Currently, most states permit law-abiding citizens to carry a handgun outside the home. “Shall issue” states provide a legal framework in which a license or permit must be issued if the applicant meets objective criteria specified by statute. In addition, sixteen states have “permitless” or “constitutional” carry, in which no permit is required to carry a concealed handgun outside the home. Eight states maintain a “may-issue” status, which permits a license only upon approval of a local police chief or sheriff.
The GOC brief states “We have convincingly demonstrated that there is a deep, long-standing split among the circuits regarding whether the protection of the 2nd Amendment to carry handguns exists outside the home, and that it is imperative for this Court to resolve that circuit split. We address the practical, “on the ground” effects of that split, which show the importance and urgency of granting certiorari. The continued refusal of eight states, with the blessing of four Circuit Courts of Appeals, to recognize 2nd Amendment rights outside the home is depriving tens of millions of law-abiding citizens of the most fundamental right of all, the right to defend one’s own life and the lives of others.”
For a copy of the brief, click HERE.