The Supreme Court seemed receptive to arguments that New York state’s tough concealed-carry gun permitting system violates the Second Amendment during a court hearing on Nov. 3. The legal challenge is important because it could result in a nationwide recognition of the right of Americans to possess guns outside the home, carrying guns in public places such as parks, schools, shopping malls, and churches. The Supreme Court has been moving in the direction of strengthening Second Amendment protections in recent years. In District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), the Supreme Court held that the Second Amendment protects “the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation,” and in McDonald v. City of Chicago (2010), the court held that this right “is fully applicable to the States.” The case comes amidst rising crime rates, activist demands to defund police departments, and a Biden administration push to strengthen gun …