Press Releases

U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) issued the following statement today on the Supreme Court’s ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen striking down a century-old New York law that imposed restrictions on the concealed carry of firearms in public:

“The Supreme Court's unelected conservative majority is telling Americans, who overwhelmingly support commonsense reforms to prevent gun violence, that state legislatures they elect may not protect them from gun violence except in very narrow circumstances. According to Justice Thomas and company, gun safety laws must now be rooted in a ‘historical tradition’ which they date to the eras of the flintlock, the blunderbuss, and the musket, and may not be rooted in a desire to protect public safety.

“The conservative majority’s holding that the Constitution requires states to allow universal concealed carry of firearms is bewildering and preposterous, and it is also extremely dangerous. The Court’s conception of concealed carry permitting would impose the violent ethos of the Wild West upon American communities across the country. This decision would have been abysmal at any time, but coming in the wake of mass shootings in Uvalde, Buffalo, and dozens of other cities and towns, it shows an appalling lack of regard for human life.”

Beyer is the author of the Assault Weapon Excise Act.