Commentary
The U.S. Supreme Court is currently deliberating on the constitutionality of New York’s “may-issue” concealed handgun law. The ruling will be made within the next few months and will determine whether people have to provide a special reason for getting a concealed handgun permit to defend themselves and their families. But after last week’s shooting on a New York City subway platform, the stakes are even clearer.
The question of banning guns from “sensitive places” was mentioned 30 times during oral arguments last November. Subways were discussed 11 times.
“The idea of proliferating arms on the subway is precisely, I think, what terrifies a great many people,” warned New York Solicitor General Barbara Underwood. Justice Elena Kagan echoed those fears. Justice Sam Alito pushed back, noting that disarming people on public transportation means that you also disarm them on their way to and from that transportation. “They have to commute home by subway, maybe by bus. When they arrive at the subway or the bus stop, they have to walk some distance through a high-crime area,” he warned. “[They may be] scared to death.”
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