Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - A five-to-four Supreme Court ruling has upheld our right to own a firearm. Thursday's verdict strikes down a Washington D.C. law making it nearly impossible for its residents to own a handgun.
It may also have a similar effect on some New York state and local laws.
In New York, you must have a good reason for wanting a gun. But the next time that rule is challenged in a court of law, it could be considered unconstitutional.
“The language in the Supreme Court decision today directed the District of Columbia to absolutely issue a license to the plaintiff unless there was a cause to outright deny,” says National Rifle Association spokesman Scott Armstrong.
The Supreme Court has - for the first time - given us a yardstick by which we will measure our rules and regulations, on a statewide and local basis.
A city law requires Syracuse gun owners to lock up their firearms when not in use, but that may change. The D.C. law that was struck down also had that provision.
Whatever the effect of this law, those who sell the guns must comply.
Some in the general public may worry that relaxed laws will put more guns on the street.
Not so, says Oswego County District Attorney Donald Dodd. “Criminals don't care. Criminals grab stuff. They use it, and that's a different dimension entirely,” he says.
So long as firearms are purchased legally, Dodd says we should have nothing to worry about.
Congressman Jim Walsh applauded the court's decision, saying that gun ownership for law-abiding citizens for self-protection and hunting is an individual freedom worth defending