New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. City of New York

The New York State Rifle & Pistol Association and three individual handgun license holders challenged a New York City rule that prohibited premises-license holders from transporting their handguns outside city limits except directly to and from authorized shooting ranges within the city. The petitioners sought declaratory and injunctive relief, arguing the rule violated the Second Amendment. After the Supreme Court granted certiorari in January 2019, New York State amended its firearm licensing statute and the City amended the challenged rule, permitting transport to second homes and shooting ranges outside the city—the precise relief petitioners had requested. On April 27, 2020, the Supreme Court issued a per curiam opinion holding the case moot. The Court vacated the Second Circuit's judgment and remanded for further proceedings.

The Supreme Court issued a 6-3 per curiam opinion on April 27, 2020, holding the case moot because intervening changes in law gave petitioners the precise relief they had requested. The Court vacated the Second Circuit's judgment and remanded for consideration of residual claims, including whether petitioners could add a damages claim. Justice Kavanaugh filed a concurring opinion; Justice Alito filed a dissenting opinion joined by Justices Gorsuch and Thomas.

Whether New York City's rule restricting the transport of licensed handguns to shooting ranges and second homes outside city limits violated the Second Amendment, the Commerce Clause, and the constitutional right to travel.

The decision left the constitutionality of the challenged transport restriction unresolved, depriving lower courts of Supreme Court guidance on the scope of the Second Amendment right to bear arms outside the home. However, the concurring and dissenting opinions signaled that at least four Justices were concerned that Heller was being misapplied in the lower courts, setting the stage for the Court's later landmark decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen (2022), which struck down New York's proper-cause requirement for concealed-carry licenses and established a new historical-tradition test for evaluating firearm regulations.