By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
The National Rifle Association has declared a “pivotal victory” after a New York judge ordered the state to pay the association more than $447,000 to cover legal fees in the case of New York State Rifle &U Pistol Association v. Bruen.
Fox News is reporting the order was issued at the end of September. The Bruen case was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2022, striking down New York’s century-old “proper cause” concealed carry law as unconstitutional.
Fox quoted a statement from Michael Jean, NRA director of the Office of Litigation Counsel, sent to Fox News Digital.
“This triumph in Bruen has fortified the Second Amendment in an unprecedented manner, and we continue our unrelenting fight to uphold our rights and challenge those who endeavor to infringe upon them,” Jean said.
The aftermath of the Bruen ruling has been something of a legislative circus in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, California and elsewhere as state lawmakers scrambled to adopt laws designed to get around the ruling and also continue making it difficult for law-abiding citizens to carry firearms for personal protection in public. The most popular of these strategies has been the creation of so-called “sensitive places” statutes, where firearms are prohibited, including any kept by businesses inside the zones, and those carried by legally licensed citizens. Adoption of these prohibitions has led to even more litigation.
“The NRA regards the $447K award in the NYSRPA V. Bruen case as a pivotal victory, a symbol that justice is definitively on our side,” Jean said.
The huge payout actually covers about one-third of the NRA’s legal expenses, according to Jean.
That is not surprising. Second Amendment-related litigation is expensive, and NRA is not the only organization engaging in this strategy to strike down unconstitutional gun control laws. The Second Amendment Foundation, which is currently involved in more than 50 legal cases, Gun Owners of America, Firearms Policy Coalition, National Association for Gun Rights and National Shooting Sports Foundation are all keeping several attorneys busy. Civil litigation takes time, as well.
At the recent Gun Rights Policy Conference sponsored by SAF and the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in Phoenix, several attorneys appeared to comment on current litigation, and also offered indications of what is yet to come.
