Bruck joins amicus brief supporting New York concealed-carry restrictions

Joining a coalition of 19 Democratic attorneys general from across the United States, Acting Attorney General Andrew Bruck has filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court defending New York State’s limits on concealed-carry licenses.

The case in question, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, is set to determine whether New York’s law, which requires concealed-carry license applicants to have a demonstrable and concrete need for self-defense, violates the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution. Bruck and his 18 counterparts argue in the brief that firearm restrictions have many historical precedents both in the United States and elsewhere, and that they meaningfully reduce incidents of gun violence.

“New Jersey residents should be able to go to a shopping mall or sporting event without having to worry about whether the person behind them is secretly carrying a firearm for no good reason,” Bruck said in a statement. “A Supreme Court decision striking down reasonable firearm licensing laws would pose a significant risk to public safety.”

Gov. Phil Murphy, while not directly involved in the amicus brief, voiced his support for Bruck’s decision and for concealed-carry restrictions more generally.

“We will always defend our state’s common-sense gun safety laws,” Murphy said. “We have worked hard to make New Jersey one of the safest states in the nation and have done so with the help of New Jersey’s long-standing gun safety laws.”

Under New Jersey law at present, those applying for a license to carry a firearm outside their own home need to show “justifiable need,” or meet criteria for exemption in some other way. Given the similarities between the laws, if New York’s concealed-carry law were to be struck down as unconstitutional, New Jersey’s may also be threatened.