NBC on Blockbuster Gun Ruling: Will Court Get More People Killed?

ABC and NBC broke up on Thursday with alarming coverage of the 6-3 Supreme Court gun rights victory. It was a concern about whether out-of-touch conservatives at the Court would lead to people getting killed. 

ABC acknowledged that the ruling was “big” and “major.” The decision makes it much harder for liberal states like New York to just refuse to issue a concealed carry permit to residents. But journalist Pierre Thomas speculated about more death as a result: “It is a question of ease. Can people carry weapons concealed in their public places? Will this increase the likelihood that there will be more accidents and shootings?” 

Terry Moran, an analyst at ABC Supreme Court was concerned: 

How about the taverns that serve alcohol? Is there a limit to such a thing? Justice Clarence Thomas’s sweeping decision states that history is important and that all states have to assume that they are allowed to possess a firearm in public places. 

Over on NBC, reporter Hallie Jackson lamented, “The New York City Mayor Eric Adams said this would be, in his view, ‘a real mess for police.’ He said this keeps him up at night.” Reporter Yamiche Alcindor deriding the Supreme Court as out of touch: 

We now have the Supreme Court taking up the largest Second Amendment case for more than 10 years. This shows that not only is the Supreme Court taking a position on the issue, but that Americans may be more disoriented than the justices in their decision. 

Here are some partial transcripts. Click “expand” to read more. 

ABC News Special 
6/23/2022
10:00 AM ET

DAVID MURIR: Welcome to the airwaves, everybody. With breaking news from The Supreme Court, we’re on air. Justices handed down an important decision regarding guns in America. They struck down New York’s license regime for carrying a firearm outside of the home. This law could affect seven states as well as the entire nation. In the context of renewed gun safety debates following the mass shootings that have rocked the U.S., this decision was made. Clarence Thomas wrote this opinion. This was the majority opinion. Chief Justice John Roberts is on board. According to the opinion, New York’s laws violate the 14th Amendment. New York’s licensing system was struck down. This is a New York law that has been in place for 100 years. The question now is how it will affect other states across the country. Terry Moran, who has been covering the Court for quite some while, will be our guest. Terry, it is an important ruling. 

TERRY MORAN is pleased with the decision. It’s a major victory for gun rights advocates in America. New York required that anyone who desired to conceal a firearm outside their home must show cause. The state defined proper cause as an extraordinary need, which was different than ordinary citizens. Today, the Supreme Court said that it was not enough to the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment presupposes the right-to-carry, keep, and bear arms. This is because the Constitution’s language states that “bear arms” means the right for one to carry. There is one important caveat. 

This is an important decision. Chief Justice John Roberts (Justice Brett Kavanaugh) and Justice Brett Kavanaugh (Court Justice), sign on. They limit their opinion by stating that the Second Amendment does not provide any blank checks. The justices want to see more cases that define the boundaries of where firearms can be carried outside the home. A lot was said about the possibility of football stadiums. How about pubs that serve alcohol? Is there a limit to such a thing? Justice Clarence Thomas issued a broad ruling and stated that it was crucial to consider the Second Amendment’s history and states should assume that they have a constitutional right outside their homes. 

MUIR : Terry had given us an indication of where they could go back in the Court’s hearing. John Roberts was Chief Justice and stated at that moment that you don’t need a license for exercising a right in light of the Bill of Rights. 

MORAN: That’s right, David. New York was home to one of America’s strictest concealed carry gun laws. The law is over 100 years old and has an unusual procedure. You must apply to have a gun outside your home and show good cause. New York state courts then had to determine that this was a special requirement. The Court says that you do not need to have a special reason for constitutional rights. It is possible to exercise. It doesn’t matter, as chief justice Roberts concurred that you can carry any firearm anywhere. However, those borders have not been determined. Justice Thomas’ opinion states that the Supreme Court has ruled that all citizens are entitled to carry guns outside their homes. 

…

MUIR – This law was established in New York State 100 years ago. 

DEVIN DWYER – More than 100 years. It was approved in 1911. The state of New York claimed that they were influenced by history. New York, along with many other states, had a history of restricting gun ownership. Today, however, the supreme Court goes a step further. Clarence Thomas sees the vast sweep of American history and supports a differing view about this discretionary requirement. 

…

PIERRE THOMAS – We’ve seen an increase of 30 percent in the number of homicides. Many were committed with firearms. Many were committed with handguns. Mass shootings are on the rise by 60 percent, as we have discussed over and over. This raises the question of whether it will be easier to possess weapons in public or concealed, which could lead to increased shootings and other types of incidents. David says that this is what law enforcement was concerned about in these kinds of cases. They are trying to lower these numbers through focusing on career criminals. David: Law enforcement remains concerned that someone could have concealed weapons on their person. 

NBC News Special
6/23/2022
10:40

HALLIE JACKSON – We’ll bring Yamiche in. The New York City mayor Eric Adams said this would be, in his view, “a real mess for police.” He said this keeps him up at night. The political context should be considered more widely. Recent Sienna College surveys found that 79 per cent wanted the Supreme Court not to change this law. It didn’t happen. Discuss the implications of this. 

YAMICHE ALCINOR: It is a very public time of tension in the United States. Even more so after these recent high-profile mass shootings, which have focused public attention on gun access. According to poll after poll, people want new gun laws that restrict who can buy a gun in a shop and cause mass destruction and casualties all over the country. Our eyes will now be focused on states with similar laws as New York, including Hawaii, Pete said. I was told by them that America is facing a very unique problem every year. The problem is that we are seeing more mass shootings every year and more gun fatalities. We reached a new record for gun deaths in 2020. We now have the Supreme Court taking up the largest Second Amendment case for more than 10 years. The Supreme Court clearly takes a stand in this matter, and Americans could be less supportive of the decision made by the justices. This is happening as legislators, Peter stated, are debating whether they should finally make a bipartisan gun deal. This has not been the case with many other mass shootings. Uvalde was a tragic incident that saw many innocent people being killed and elementary students were also killed. Even Republicans expressed concern about the current state of gun access in America. The ruling will change that conversation. It will be fascinating to see how that affects negotiations.