The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to consider the case in conference on Oct. 6.
New York state in recent weeks enacted a new package of controversial gun control measures that laid the building blocks for the nation’s first gun registry. Purchasers of ammunition are now required to fork over their personal details and undergo a background check independent of the national NICS process.
Under Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), the state is no longer adjoined to NICS and conducts its investigations in-house. That predictably got off to a very rocky start, with some ammunition buyers forced to wait almost 24 hours for New York to find them worthy of exercising their Second Amendment rights.
Shop owners report plunging sales due to customers being understandably hesitant to hand over their private information to the New York state Police Department.
Gun owners are also hit with a $9 firearm background check fee and a $2.50 ammunition background check fee.
Before the law took effect, gun rights advocates filed an Emergency Motion to prevent its implementation. However, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals denied that motion, which led to an emergency application with the U.S. Supreme Court.
This was seen by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who immediately rejected it. But that motion was “renewed” and is being presented to Justice Clarence Thomas. This was allowed through a high court rule and hopes are strong that he will act in favor of the plaintiffs.
Gazzola v. Hochul is critically important, first for New York gun owners and then for those in other states that do not respect Second Amendment freedoms. The Supreme Court should do what’s right and halt this extreme governmental overreach in its tracks.
