Opinion
New York – One thing died final week in Washington.
Not with fanfare or a fiery dissent. Not within the headlines of the mainstream press. No, the loss of life got here quietly—throughout convention—when the Supreme Court docket of the USA refused to listen to Antonyuk v. James. And with that denial, the Court docket didn’t simply reject yet another case within the docket. It signaled the burial of Bruen.
Let that sink in.
Bruen, the landmark choice that reaffirmed the Second Modification’s core protections simply two years in the past, was gutted—not by a brand new ruling, however by silence. A shrug. A refusal to behave.
It’s onerous to explain the sense of betrayal. This was the Court docket’s likelihood to face behind its personal precedent, to slap down New York State’s outright defiance of the Structure. As a substitute, it despatched a message to decrease courts and rogue legislatures alike: “Do what you need. We’re executed imposing this.”
What does that imply for gun homeowners? It means the State of New York can now strip you of your rights with layers of crimson tape and Orwellian “ethical character” assessments. It means states can deal with the Second Modification as a second-class proper once more, simply as Justice Thomas warned.
Procedural Historical past Background of Antonyuk v. James
Following the Supreme Court docket’s choice in New York State Rifle & Pistol Affiliation v. Bruen, which invalidated New York’s restrictive hid carry licensing regime, the state enacted the CCIA to handle the Court docket’s considerations. This new regulation launched provisions reminiscent of “good ethical character” necessities and expanded definitions of “delicate locations” the place firearms are prohibited. Plaintiffs challenged the CCIA, resulting in Antonyuk v. James.Duke Heart for Firearms Regulation
Initially, the district courtroom granted a preliminary injunction towards sure provisions of the CCIA. Nevertheless, the Second Circuit Court docket of Appeals vacated components of this injunction, permitting most elements of the regulation to stay in impact. The plaintiffs then sought evaluation from the Supreme Court docket. In July 2024, the Supreme Court docket granted certiorari, vacated the Second Circuit’s judgment, and remanded the case for additional consideration in mild of its choice in United States v. Rahimi.Supreme Court docket,
Upon reconsideration, the Second Circuit reaffirmed its earlier stance, upholding the vast majority of the CCIA’s provisions. The plaintiffs as soon as once more petitioned the Supreme Court docket. On April 7, 2025, the Supreme Court docket denied this petition for certiorari.
It implies that when a governor like Kathy Hochul rams by means of a invoice designed particularly to undercut a Supreme Court docket ruling, the Court docket received’t even trouble to have a look.
And perhaps worst of all—it reveals that the so-called “conservative majority” on the Court docket is not any such factor. The Roberts Court docket, with its rigorously balanced picture and obsession with institutional status, has deserted originalism the place it issues most: the actual world.
So now we’re left with the results. The Hid Carry Enchancment Act stays.
Delicate place bans, good ethical character clauses, and different unconstitutional hoops are nonetheless in place. And the very concept of a basic, unalienable proper to armed self-defense—as soon as reaffirmed in Heller, McDonald, and Bruen—is now fading from relevance within the courtroom.
However that proper nonetheless lives elsewhere.
It lives within the American folks. It lives in each citizen who understands that rights don’t come from courts, presidents, or legislatures—they arrive from God.
If the courts will not defend Bruen, then we should. In our voices, in our votes, and in our vigilance.
As a result of the struggle doesn’t finish with a denied cert petition. It ends solely after we give up—and we’re not going to try this.
Learn my in-depth article on the denial of Antonyuk v. James right here: “Bruen Is Useless! SCOTUS Murdered It”.
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