The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and its partners secured an important win today on a key issue in Christian v. James, a case challenging New York's "sensitive places" carry ban law.

In October 2024, SAF celebrated a major victory when a federal district court ruled the state's restriction against concealed carry on private property open to the public is unconstitutional. That same ruling, however, upheld New York's carry ban in parks.

In today's ruling, the court affirmed the permanent injunction SAF won at the district court as it relates to carry on private property open to the public (aka the "Vampire rule"). In the same opinion, however, the court upheld the facial constitutionality of New York's carry ban in parks, above SAF's objections, and drawing a thoughtful dissent from the court.

"After the Bruen decision forced recalcitrant states like New York to issue carry permits to their residents, they responded by creating overlapping patchworks of 'sensitive places' in which even permitted carriers could not exercise their rights," said SAF Senior Director of Legal Operations Bill Sack. "New York's carry ban on private property open to the public – essentially all private businesses – was intended as the state's next novel circumvention of the Second Amendment. We are thrilled the Second Circuit saw through this ruse and tossed the ban out on its rear end."

SAF is joined in the case by the Firearms Policy Coalition and Brett Christian, for whom the case is named.

"While today's ruling strikes down a key pillar of New York's carry ban law, there's still plenty of work to be done, including on the issue of carry in parks," said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. "The idealogues who think they can create 'sensitive places' to ban the legal carry of firearms should understand that SAF will continue to fight for the right to keep and bear arms for all Americans, just like we've done for more than five decades."

For more information visit SAF.org.

The Second Amendment Foundation (saf.org) is the nation's oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the fundamental rights of individuals enshrined in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. SAF engages in aggressive legal action to ensure the principles of armed self-defense, personal liberty, and the ownership of arms are defended, secured, and restored. Through public education initiatives, SAF teaches the importance of the Second Amendment to promote a society that values and exercises the right to keep and bear arms.