Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich on Thursday praised a decision from the Supreme Court in a key gun rights case.
According to the majority decision from the justices, the Court struck down a law in New York that mandates individuals demonstrate “proper cause” in order to obtain a concealed carry permit.
“In this case, petitioners and respondents agree that ordinary, law-abiding citizens have a similar right to carry handguns publicly for their self-defense. We too agree, and now hold, consistent with Heller and McDonald, that the Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home,” Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the opinion.
“The constitutional right to bear arms in public for self-defense is not ‘a second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other Bill of Rights guarantees.’ We know of no other constitutional right that an individual may exercise only after demonstrating to government officers some special need,” he added.
According to Brnovich, who wrote an amicus brief in addition to 26 other states, the ruling shows that the rights protected in the Second Amendment are God-given.
“I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision today for affirming that your right to self-defense does not end when you step outside of your home,” Brnovich said. “The Second Amendment is our country’s clear, concise, and lawful acknowledgement of a God-given right that is truly self-evident.”
Our office was proud to lead a 26-state amicus brief in support of the Second Amendment in this case. We will always defend the constitutional rights of all Arizonans.
— Mark Brnovich (@GeneralBrnovich) June 23, 2022
“Our office was proud to lead a 26-state amicus brief in support of the Second Amendment in this case. We will always defend the constitutional rights of all Arizonans.”
The case, New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, is one of the Court’s major decisions of the term. In the coming days, the judicial members will also rule on abortion rights, First Amendment rights, and immigration policy.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Mark Brnovich” by Mark Brnovich.Â