Gun Owners of America (GOA) and the Gun Owners Foundation (GOF) have filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Newsmax's Carl Higbie and others who are seeking concealed carry permits in New York.
The groups are challenging the state's blanket ban on out-of-state residents being able to obtain a concealed carry permit or to have New York honor out-of-state permits.
The organizations said in a joint press release, "Under current New York law, only New York residents may apply for and obtain permits to carry concealed weapons, and the state does not grant any form of reciprocity for individuals who hold a similar permit from another state."
"As a result, those who hold out-of-state driver’s licenses may drive in New York, but the exercising of one’s constitutional right to bear arms in New York State is wholly inaccessibly to the 94% of Americans who are not state residents," the press release continued. "New York is the only known state where nonresidents are not allowed to exercise their Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms."
Erich Pratt, GOA’s Senior Vice President, added, "The State of New York and its cadre of anti-gun politicians have done everything in their power to weaken and outright ban the Second Amendment within their borders. The Supreme Court has made clear that the right to bear arms extends to the public square, and this right is for all Americans, not just those who are residents of individual states."
"This is the only example nationwide that we can find where an out-of-state resident is completely barred from exercising their right to keep and bear arms, and there’s no doubt the anti-gun legislature in Albany purposely designed it this way," Sam Paredes, on behalf of the board for GOF, said in a statement. "We’ve warned these politicians before and we’ll do it again, fall in line on the Second Amendment, or we will make you."
Gun Owners of America describes itself as a "nonprofit, grassroots lobbying organization dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise."
