New York gun sellers denied relief at Supreme Court

WASHINGTON (CN) — A second attempt at halting New York’s new gun regulations came up short at the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday. 

Firearm dealers had applied to the justices for emergency relief earlier this month, seeking to nullify New York's latest attempt to crack down on guns. With no explanation or noted dissents, the court declined late this morning to grant relief. 

Led by Nadine and Seth Gazzola, the husband-and-wife owners of a gun shop just north of the Catskills, the challengers here are just one group that went to court after the Empire State enacted new gun rules last summer.

The new regulations require background checks for private gun sales, stymie the sale of assault weapons and ban firearms in sensitive locations, among other provisions.

Lawmakers put the regulations in place by way of the Concealed Carry Improvement Act, which was passed to fill in the void left by the Supreme Court’s landmark Second Amendment ruling last term. In striking down the former law, the conservative supermajority created a new framework for evaluating Second Amendment restrictions across the country. 

Gun rights advocates claim they have a right to publicly carry weapons for self-defense, and that the new law is a testament to Governor Kathy Hochul’s disrespect for the court. Likening their fight to the Civil Rights Movement, the Gazzolas want the regulations struck down. 

New York urged the court to deny the gun dealers’ request, arguing they did not meet the high bar for relief. Solicitor General Barbara Underwood also said blocking the state’s laws would be detrimental to public safety. 

Prior to appealing to the high court, the gun dealers were denied emergency relief from a federal judge and the Second Circuit. They argued their Supreme Court appeal should have been accepted because of monetary losses resulting from their inability to sell handguns and other accessories. 

The denial comes only a week after the court blocked a separate challenge of the regulations from gun owners. While the court appears uninterested in interfering in these suits at the moment, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas signaled their interest in taking up the cases once they worked their way through the lower courts. 

Follow @KelseyReichmann

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