SCOTUS upholds New York Gun Law

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The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused a request from a group of firearms dealers in New York seeking to halt parts of the state's new laws regulating commercial gun sales.

In a one-line, unsigned order, the court denied the emergency request for an injunction filed on behalf of licensed firearms dealers who sought the Supreme Court's intervention to "keep their doors open, while fighting to restore their civil rights through this lawsuit."

The Supreme Court's order comes days after it rejected a separate request from six New York gun owners to block the state's new firearms law, which was enacted in the wake of a major Second Amendment decision this summer. That law, the Concealed Carry Improvement Act, imposed new restrictions on carrying guns in public, and the court's order allowed it to remain in place while legal proceedings continue.

The dispute from the gun sellers involved measures enacted just before and in response to the Supreme Court's June ruling invalidating New York's permitting regime for concealed carry applicants, which marked the first time the high court recognized the right to carry a handgun outside the home.

Among the laws targeted by the gun sellers were requirements that firearm dealers secure guns in a safe or locked area and have security systems installed on their premises; prohibit people under 18 from entering gun retail stores without a parent or guardian; and provide records of gun sales to government law enforcement agencies and manufacturers upon request.

They also challenged laws regarding the purchase of guns and ammunition, including a licensing requirement for semiautomatic rifles; requiring background checks for ammunition sales and directing New York State Police to establish a database for such sales; and requiring gun dealers to maintain records of ammunition sales.

The regulations took effect in September and December, and the firearms dealers told the court they are unable to comply with "most" of the new laws.