Manasquan, NJ –-(Ammoland.com)- The Supreme Courts has refused to grant certiorari on the case, Drake v. Jerejian.
The justices turned away challenge to a New Jersey law that sharply restricts the authority to carry a handgun in public.
The case would have marked the most significant gun control case at the high court since its District of Columbia v. Heller decision in 2008 upheld the right to keep handguns at home for self-defense.
The New Jersey challenge was backed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) and Second Amendment Foundation (SAF). “The Second Amendment guarantees the right to carry weapons for the purpose of self-defense — not just for self-defense within the home, but for self-defense, period,” the NRA argued in its brief to the high court.
The New Jersey law at issue Monday requires proof of a justifiable need to carry a gun, defined as “the urgent necessity for self-protection, as evidenced by specific threats or previous attacks which demonstrate a special danger to the applicant’s life.”
Among the challengers was a Sussex County man, John Drake, who services and restocks ATM’s — a job that requires him to carry large amounts of cash. His application for a permit to carry a gun was denied.
“In practice, few ordinary people can hope to obtain a New Jersey handgun carry permit,” said Drake’s lawyer, Alan Gura of Virginia, in legal papers that urged the Supreme Court to take the case.
Around the time the legal challenge was launched, Gura said, about 1,200 permits had been issued in a state with an adult population of nearly seven million.
Here is a link to my press release on Drake v. Jerejian. Sadly, it is very similar to past releases, posts and articles I have been writing for several years now. I am of the opinion that until a case comes before the US Supreme Court that takes the position that the Heller decision meant exactly what it said and not the opposite or something else, SCOTUS will continue to deny cert until there are no Federal Circuits left to hear from. So far we have had Federal Appellate Courts torpedo concealed carry in: 1st Circuit Court of Appeals –… Read more »
I think it’s clear that SCOTUS does not want to decide this issue. I don’t think they wanted to rule on the matter of the existence of a 2nd Amendment right either. In that case there were two appeals courts that had ruled in favor of a 2nd Amendment right before they took Heller. Technically, at this point only one appeals court (the 7th) has ruled that the right extends outside the home. The 9th did issue a similar ruling, but it is under appeal to the entire 9th circuit – so it is not yet final. As is so… Read more »