Supreme Court declines to hear case challenging Hochul’s conceal carry legislation
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Antonyuk v. James on Monday, leaving key provisions of New York’s Concealed Carry Improvement Act in place. Gov. Kathy Hochul passed the legislation in 2022 as part of her gun safety agenda. Photos by Meghan Hendricks and Young-Bin Lee
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The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case Monday afternoon that aimed to challenge key provisions of New York’s Concealed Carry Improvement Act. Gov. Kathy Hochul passed the legislation in 2022 as part of her gun safety agenda.
If heard, Antonyuk v. James would have contested Hochul’s legislation, which limits concealed weapons in protected areas, including churches, medical offices, public parks and entertainment venues. In a Monday statement, Hochul called the decision a validation of the act.
“New York’s strong gun safety laws save lives, and gun violence has declined by 53 percent since a pandemic-era peak,” Hochul said in the statement. “Today, the Supreme Court has officially rejected an attempt to block this critical legislation.”
In 2022, the Supreme Court’s decision in the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen case overturned New York’s long-standing requirement for people to demonstrate a need to obtain a concealed carry permit. In response, Hochul introduced the CCIA during a special legislative session in July 2022.
Under the CCIA, permit applicants must complete 16 hours of firearms safety training, undergo an in-person interview with a licensing officer and provide character references, along with a list of their social media accounts from the past three years, in order to purchase a firearm.
The act also requires gun owners who want to carry concealed guns in New York to show “good moral character” to receive a conceal carry license.
The plaintiffs in the case, a group of six New York gun owners led by Schenectady County resident Ivan Antonyuk, challenged the CCIA’s requirements in federal court. The group argued the legislation infringed on Second Amendment rights and lacked historical precedent.
In 2022, a Syracuse-based federal judge temporarily blocked most of the law’s provisions, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed the decision in 2024, allowing the CCIA’s provisions to go back into effect. The Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the appeal leaves the 2024 ruling intact. The court declined to comment on its decision.
In her Monday statement, Hochul reaffirmed her administration’s commitment to keeping the state safe from gun violence.
“Public safety will always be my top priority,” she said. “I’ll continue fighting to keep New Yorkers safe.”
