U.S. Concealed Carry Association Statement Ahead of Landmark Supreme Court Hearing on Right to Carry

West Bend, WI — The U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA), which is the fastest growing organization in the country advocating for responsibly armed Americans, released the following statement ahead of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen case that is set to be heard before the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, November 3.

“The USCCA’s more than 600,000 members, and millions more Americans who value their right to self-protection, are watching this case closely. The right to carry outside one’s home goes to the heart of the right to ‘keep and bear arms’ protected by the Second Amendment. There is no question that New York’s gun law violates that right and it’s our hope that the nation’s highest Court will declare it unconstitutional,” U.S. Concealed Carry Association Founder and CEO Tim Schmidt said today.

Earlier this year, the USCCA along with several other leading Second Amendment organizations filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen case. Currently, New York requires concealed carry applicants to demonstrate “proper cause” to carry a firearm. California, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island also have similar laws which prevent responsible Americans from protecting themselves.

“[T]oday, there are millions of Americans who want to protect themselves and their families but can’t because a handful of states like New York refuse to recognize that Constitutional right,” Schmidt indicated. “Every American has the right to protect themselves and their families at all times, and it is long past due for the nation’s highest Court to affirm that.”

According to a new report, there are over 21 million concealed carry licensees across the country, and the rate of growth is up 48 percent over the past five years with a 10.5 percent increase in 2020 alone. Today, 8.5 percent of Americans over the age of 18 have permits and six states are home to over 1 million permit holders. Over the last year alone, nearly 5 million new gun owners have joined the more than 100 million Americans who already own guns for self-defense.

About the USCCA

The U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) is an association of responsibly armed Americans whose members get exceptional self-defense education, lifesaving training and self-defense liability insurance, preparing them for the before, during and after of a lawful act of self-defense. The USCCA is the largest, fastest-growing self-defense association dedicated to responsible gun owners.