New York City Mayor Vows to ‘Fight Back’ Against Supreme Court Conceal Carry Ruling

Jeff Charles reporting for RedState 

The leftist anti-gunner lobby is none too happy about the Supreme Court’s ruling striking down New York’s overly restrictive gun licensing scheme. As you read this, folks are having a full-blown meltdown on social media. One of those taking issue with it is New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who has vowed to “fight back” against the court’s ruling.

The mayor, a Democrat, held a press conference on Thursday excoriating the court’s decision and declaring he would not let the city turn into the “wild west.” He plans to look into measures that would make it more difficult for law-abiding gun owners to carry concealed firearms without violating the substance of the court’s ruling.

“When I spoke with my Chief Counsel, based on his preliminary analysis, I said, give it to me on a scale of one to ten. It’s very close to a 10 of a major concern that we have. While we’re still analyzing the decision, we can say with certainty this decision has made every single one of us less safe from gun violence,” Adams began. He continued:

“The decision ignores the shocking crisis of gun violence every day, engulfing not only New York, but engulfing our entire country. The opinion claims to be based on nation historical past, but does not account for the reality of today. It ignores the present and it endangers our future. While nothing changes today, and we want to be clear on that, nothing changes today, we have been preparing for this decision and will continue to do everything possible to work with our federal, state and local partners to protect our city.”

The mayor will look at defining “sensitive locations” where people would not be allowed to conceal carry and “reviewing our application process to ensure that only those who are fully qualified” would be allowed to obtain a license to carry.

New York, a “may issue” state, does not have a training requirement for those seeking a permit, but people must take a basic gun safety course before applying for a license to own a handgun. The few who are allowed to carry a firearm can currently do so in most places. However, since the court ruled that the state’s licensing scheme violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms in self-defense, the predictable response is for officials to create new hurdles designed to make it harder for responsible citizens to defend themselves, if necessary.

“We will not allow our city to live in fear that everyone around us is armed and that any altercation could devolve into a shootout. We will not allow the men and women of the police department to be subjected to further danger, making their already difficult jobs even more harrowing,” Adams announced before promising to “fight back” against efforts to safeguard the right to bear arms.

The mayor’s protestations come amid a significant spike in crime in New York City. In response, gun ownership has risen considerably over the past two years, especially among black Americans and women – those who are in greatest need of the means to protect themselves from violent criminals. The New York Post reported:

Reports of homicide, rape, assault and robbery are on pace to break 2021 levels halfway through the year – with a 25.8% surge in violent crime in the Big Apple atop the list, according to a review of NYPD statistics.

A total of 189 murders have been tallied in New York City as of Sunday, the latest date of available data. That’s down more than 13% from 218 on the same date a year ago, but rapes, robberies and felony assaults are all up: 15.4%. 39.7% and 19.6%, respectively.

Altogether, the 19,972 reports represent an increase of nearly 26% from 2021 levels, data shows.

Adams won his mayoral campaign on promises to clean up crime in the city. So far, he has failed to deliver on that promise. However, the failure is not solely his fault – New York City’s district attorneys are of the “woke” variety, meaning they focus more on protecting criminals through lax crime policies and ridiculous bail reform measures than on safeguarding law-abiding citizens. The fact that Adams and his ilk seek to make it harder for citizens to protect themselves should make anyone wonder whose side they are on.

Nevertheless, it will now become easier for people in New York and other “may issue” states to obtain and carry firearms for self-defense. Sure, officials in these states will come up with cumbersome laws designed to mitigate the inevitable increase in gun ownership. But these will almost certainly be challenged in court, so the battle is not yet over. Either way, the Supreme Court’s decision is a massive blow to the anti-gunner lobby and another step towards ensuring the protection of the right to bear arms.