SAF, FPC Petition Supreme Court To Hear Challenge To NYC Stun Gun Restrictions
SAF, FPC Petition Supreme Court To Hear Challenge To NYC Stun Gun Restrictions
Arguing that the Second Amendment protects all “bearable” arms, the Second Amendment Foundation is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a challenge to New York City’s ban on electronic arms.
NYC’s stun gun ban is a rare outlier — and past due for constitutional scrutiny
New York City flatly prohibits the possession of stun guns, despite their common nationwide use as a less-lethal option for self-defense chosen by hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans. Joining SAF in Calce v. City of New York are five individuals and the Firearms Policy Coalition.
SAF: New Yorkers can’t even choose non-lethal self-defense tools
“The fact that residents of New York City cannot decide for themselves if they’d like to use a stun gun or taser for self-defense borders on the ridiculous,” SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut said in a news release announcing the court action. “Prohibiting law-abiding, peaceable citizens from carrying non-lethal means of self-defense not only violates the Constitution but transparently communicates the real disdain New York City lawmakers have for the residents they represent. How else can you morally or ethically justify banning these defensive tools?”
The core argument: Electronic arms are arms too
The plaintiffs argue in the petition: “This Court should grant review to clarify the standards that apply in arms ban cases and to establish that nonlethal, electronic arms are just as much arms under the Second Amendment as are firearms. The Second Amendment protects implements that can project a spectrum of force and is not limited to firearms exclusively.”