WASHINGTON, DC – Today, following the Supreme Court’s decision in the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen case, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus and a Member of the Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement:

“The decision reached today by an extreme, radical and runaway Supreme Court defies common sense and is an assault on the Constitution and New York’s right to decide how to keep its citizens safe.  

In the past few months, we have witnessed the devastating impact of guns on New York and communities across this nation. Today’s decision to throw out more than a century’s worth of laws created by a state legislature will open the floodgates to guns in our city and state and make our streets much more dangerous for everyday New Yorkers. 

Our partners in law enforcement have been clear: putting more guns on to the streets of New York City will not magically solve gun crime, but will create more gun violence victims.

The flawed reasoning of Justice Clarence Thomas in this decision clearly shows that this illegitimate Supreme Court majority will put political biases above the well-established legal precedent of this nation. 

Congress is acting in a bicameral, bipartisan fashion to pass commonsense gun safety legislation. It is shameful that an extreme Supreme Court has decided to act as a political body to make our streets and communities less safe.”