Friday’s 6-3 Supreme Court gun rights victory was the subject of alarming news coverage from ABC and NBC. It raised concerns about whether out-of-touch conservatives at the Court would cause people to die.
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? There are limits on this. Justice Clarence Thomas’s sweeping decision states that history is important and that all states have to assume that there is a constitutional rights 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:
The Supreme Court is now weighing in on one of the most important Second Amendment cases in over a decade. The Supreme Court has taken a strong stand in this matter, and Americans could be less supportive of the decision.
Below are partial transcripts. Click “expand” to read more.
ABC News Special
6/23/2022
10:00 AM ETDAVID MURIR: Welcome to the airwaves, everybody. With breaking news from The Supreme Court, we’re on air. A major ruling on guns in America was made by the justices. New York’s licensing system for gun ownership outside the home has been struck down. Concealed carry laws could impact seven states and the nation. This decision is made amid renewed national debate about gun safety following mass shootings in America. Clarence Thomas wrote the 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 license regime 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 covers the Court, and has done so for some time. Terry, this is a significant ruling.
TERRY MORAN (The big decision on Gun Rights in the United States is an achievement for all those who support those rights. New York law required those who wanted to keep a concealed firearm in their homes to prove that they had the proper cause. This was defined by the state as having a special defense need which is different than the ordinary citizen. The Supreme Court today ruled that this is not sufficient under the Second Amendment. It states that the Second Amendment assumes that all citizens have the right of carrying, keeping, and bearing arms. In this instance, the Supreme Court deems that carry to be the right. There is an important caveat.
Although this decision is huge, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, sign on to limit it a bit and say that the Second Amendment doesn’t provide a blanket check. 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. Was there anything to be said about bars where they serve drinking? There are limits on this. Justice Clarence Thomas’s sweeping decision states that history is important and that all states have to assume that firearms are allowed outside of their home.
MUIR: Terry, when we heard the case, there was a hint that the Court might be heading in this direction. John Roberts was Chief Justice and stated at the time that the notion of a license being required to exercise a rights is not common 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. It’s 100 years old. The unusual system requires that you request the right to possess a firearm beyond your residence. In New York, the state court must find that there is a special reason. The Court says that you do not need to have a special reason for constitutional rights. It is possible to exercise. You can exercise.
…
MUIR: It was in New York State for over 100 years.
DEVIN DWYER – More than 100 years. The law was adopted in 1911. However, the state New York argued that their history, which included a long history of restricting citizens’ rights to own guns, was actually on their side. The supreme court is now looking at this issue a bit more. Clarence Thomas sees the vast sweep of American history and supports a differing view about this discretionary requirement.
…
PIERRE THOMAS. We have witnessed a 30% increase in homicides. Most of these were by firearms. Many are committed using 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, accidents, 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 continues to be concerned by the possibility that concealed weapons could be being carried around.
NBC News Special
6/23/2022
10:40HALLIE 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. Let’s talk about the consequences down the line.
YAMICHE ALCIINDOR: This really comes at a public tense moment in our country. This is especially true after the high-profile shootings in mass killings which focused attention on guns. 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. Their opinion is that America faces a singular problem each year. It is because every year, we witness more mass shootings and more gun deaths. We reached a new record for gun deaths in 2020. The Supreme Court is now weighing in on one of the most important Second Amendment cases in over a decade. This is a clear sign that the Supreme Court has taken a position on the issue, but it also shows that Americans may be more disoriented than the justices in their decision. 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 mass shootings. Uvalde was a tragic incident that saw many innocent people being killed and elementary students were also killed. Even Republicans have spoken out to say they want to alter the process of accessing guns in America. The ruling will change that conversation. It will be fascinating to see how that affects negotiations.
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