The Supreme Court has ruled that law-abiding Americans have a right to carry a handgun outside the home for self-defense. The 6-to-3 decision found a New York law requiring a special need for carrying a weapon unconstitutional and now puts similar laws in Maryland, California, New Jersey, Hawaii, and Massachusetts at risk.

Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a 66-page opinion in regards to the N.Y. law.

“The constitutional right to bear arms in public for self-defense is not a second-class right, subject to an entirely different body of rules than the other Bill of Rights guarantees. We know of no other constitutional right that an individual may exercise only after demonstrating to government officers some special need.”

We have attached the link to the full opinion below.

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-843_7j80.pdf