The Atlantic

A Constitutional Case for Gun Control

History and textual analysis aren't the only factors that matter. Our lives do, too.
Source: Mait Juriado / Getty

Supreme Court briefs are not known for their colorful writing. Readers are far more likely to encounter austere Latin legalisms than gripping personal narratives. Yet March for Our Lives chose to upend this norm in its amicus brief—a legal filing written by an interested outside party—in the upcoming Supreme Court case New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. City of New York. Its brief “presents the voices and stories of young people from Parkland, Florida, to South Central Los Angeles who have been affected directly and indirectly by gun violence.”

The Supreme Court confirmed earlier this month that it would hear the case later this term, its first gun-rights case in nearly a decade. At issue is whether a New York City regulation that prevents licensed gun owners from transporting their firearms to second homes or gun ranges outside the city runs afoul of the Second Amendment.

The stakes are high: The case offers the Court’s conservative wing a vehicle

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