High Court Won't Hear Challenge to NY Gun Law

The Supreme Court is staying out of the gun debate for now. The justices today declined to hear a challenge to a strict New York law that makes it difficult for residents to get a license to carry a concealed handgun in public. The court did not comment in turning away an appeal from five state residents and the Second Amendment Foundation. Their lawsuit also drew support from the NRA and 20 states.

The challenged law is not one of the tough new laws passed in January. Rather, it surrounds a decision from November, less than three weeks before the Newtown shootings, in which the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in New York upheld a state law that requires those who want to carry handguns to show a special need for self-protection.