[JURIST] The US Supreme Court [official website] on Monday declined to hear [order list, PDF] a challenge to the New York state gun law requiring those who desire to carry a concealed handgun to show they have a special reason before they can obtain a license. The case, Kachalsky v. Cacace [SCOTUSblog backgrounder], was decided last November by the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit [official website] which held [opinion, PDF; JURIST report] the New York law requiring that an individual demonstrate proper cause to exercise the right to possess and carry weapons in public did not contradict the Supreme Court decision in District of Columbia v. Heller [opinion, PDF; JURIST report]. The decision by the court to not hear the case does not preclude [Reuters report] future review of the legal issue.

This story is the latest development in the Second Amendment and gun control debate [JURIST comment] in the US. In February the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit [official website] ruled [JURIST report] that permits to carry concealed weapons are not protected by the Second Amendment. On the same day the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit [official website] refused to reconsider a case decided in December that struck down [JURIST reports] Illinois’ ban on carrying concealed weapons. In January New York Governor Andrew Cuomo [official website] signed legislation [JURIST report] intended to impose tighter restrictions on gun and ammunition sales. The New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013 (NY SAFE) [text, PDF], made New York the first state to amend its gun control laws following the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting [WSJ backgrounder].