BELLEVUE, WA – Focusing on the history of Americans who often face the necessity of being their own “first responders” during emergencies, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms has submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association’s challenge of restrictive Empire State carry laws.
The brief was submitted by attorneys Bradley A. Benbrook, counsel of record, and Stephen M. Duvernay, Benbrook Law Group PC in Sacramento.
“The fragility of civilization is on full display in America today,” the 25-page brief begins. “Violent riots erupted throughout the Nation in 2020, and violence has remained elevated as police—already strained and now under political assault—have retreated in major cities. Just as in periods of social and political unrest and conflict in prior centuries, a surge in violent crime has followed the breakdown of social order.
“The American people understand what is happening,” CCRKBA’s brief adds. “They understand that they are responsible for their self-defense, so more of them are arming themselves in response to these conditions. This is an especially important time for the Court to re-affirm that the Second Amendment protects their right to carry firearms for their self-defense.”
The case challenges New York’s extremist requirement that anyone applying for a permit to carry a handgun outside the home must provide a “proper cause” for wanting to carry a firearm for personal protection. This authority is all-too-often used to deny applicants their right to bear arms under the Second Amendment.
“Police in New York have traditionally been arbitrary in their decisions about who does, and who doesn’t, get a carry permit,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “We’re proud of the fact that the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, which is one of our state affiliate organizations, has risen to the occasion.
“In an age of reductions in police numbers and increasing violence, people must be able to become their own first responders,” he observed. “Law-abiding armed citizens are as important now as they ever were.
“Not since the 2010 case of McDonald v. City of Chicago has the high court accepted a Second Amendment case for review,” Gottlieb added. “We’re encouraged the court will take this opportunity to restore the Second Amendment to its rightful importance in the Bill of Rights, and define the right to ‘bear’ arms as extending beyond one’s doorstep.”