Does the Second Amendment “right of the people” to “bear arms” protect an individual right to carry handguns outside of the home for lawful purposes, or may government officials decide who has a “good reason” to do so? After Heller held that the Second Amendment’s right to keep and bear arms guarantees a right to keep handguns in the home and McDonald incorporated that fundamental constitutional right against the states, the circuit courts have split over whether discretionary “may issue” carry licensing regimes are permissible. How might the Supreme Court resolve the current New York City case regarding transport of handguns outside of the home, and what are the potential implications for the hotly-debated question whether the right to carry applies generally to the law-abiding public? And in the wake of the Coronavirus shutdowns, should gun shops be considered “necessary businesses,” so that citizens who so choose may acquire a gun to protect their families?
Featuring:
-- Stephen Halbrook, author of The Founders’ Second Amendment and Senior Fellow, Independent Institute
-- Moderator: Mark Smith, Presidential Scholar and Senior Fellow in Law and Public Policy, The King’s College in New York City