Fofor the pbs newewour I am John
yang.
Judy: Today'ss ruling isxpected
to affect only H hdful O of
ststes, those states calalornia,
Hawaii, M myland, Massachusetts,,
newwersey, nene yororas well as
shington, D.C. A a H he to
nearly 90 milllln people or more
than a a quauaer of the country'ss
population..
Three other R Ates have similar
laws but the justices's' majority
says this case will not affect
them.
They are Connecticut, D aware,
and D ode island.
Joining me now I is the attorney
general L R Connecticut.
William T tg.
Welcome to the " "Wshour."
We saw in thihi majority opopion,
justicicthomas saying the
American peopleeave a right to
bear arms and that C not be
susurseded by some requirerent
imposed D the government.
What do you mama of that
ararment?
>> This is a radidil,eckless
dedesion that P ps at crisis
peopop, chililen acrososthe
countrtrand commomo senen gun
laws in states likee cononcticut
and D Milar states across thth
country.
Afteuvalde, after
losing 21 people T TRE, afterer
buffalaland sandy hook,k, the
stices should have stoto up
and said D Ates have police
power too protect public safefe.
And to pass common sense gunun
laws and thehe went the other way
and created an entirelelnew test
that P pple are struggling too
understand..
Judy: We see a majority of thehe
court has spoken.
We just mentioned a moment ago
that states that arar directly
impacted by Y is.
Whatato you expect thoho dates
to do nowow
every state has a differere
language I I the law but what dodo
you expectcthat we will see?
>> We expect to see a onslaught
of litigation and lalauits filed
by people like the NRA, the gun
lobby.
Activivis trying G dismantle
common senen gun laws.s.
After we lost 26 peoplplin sandy
hook, we passed somemef the
strongest gunun laws in the nation
and they are clearlyly
constitutuonal but that will not
stopophe activists or the N N.
Dy: Can you givivus some
examples of ththkinds of laws
that are now on the books I I
some of ththe states that will
have to be rewowoed someheh?
>> Oururssault weapons band, our
highghapacity magazineean, our
red flag law, ththdomestic
violence law, all of these laws
are now at risk.
And that is the problem with
this historical analogog testhat
justice ththasuts forward.
That we have T tfindhat the
laws rooted in history anan
tradition.n.
What doeoethat mean?n?
The problem ishen the seconon
amendment caca into being in
1717, we D D not H he
miautomatic and fully
automatic rifles.
We did not have weweons of war
on our streets.
We did not have the ar-15 and
ouour C cldren were not tataeted
in schchls.
Judy:: I I want to go back to
justice Thomas' argument.
What he saying is T tt if you
look at other amendments to the
constitution, N N J jt the
second amendment, B B it is N N
E case he argues thahathe
government can imposos
reststctions on what isisn
essentiaiaight that Americans
have.
Makes thatrgument
he is spepeing for theheajority.
Sisi of the nine justices.s.
>> The problemem is that flies in
the face long-standing
supreme court T esident.
Ififou look at thehe twoworevious
cacas on gun laws and Gunn rigigs
and the second D endment written
by justice scaliaa and justice
Alito, twtw O T T conservative
justices from the E St 30 years.
Inoth those cases those
justicesaid stateteclearly
haha the power and the aututrity
under our P pice power to P ps
commmm sense gun lawawto keep
people safe.
Period.
End O storyry
jujuice Thomas now purports to
go inn a new directiononhich is
why I C CL it reckless and
radical and whihi is why we are
concerned itit threatensnsommon
sensnsgun laws across the
country.
Judy: As we now know the suprpre
court hahaa different makeup
donenehat the court wasas -- has a
different makeke then when thehe
court W W before.
You said there will be a lolo of
challenging.
The supreme court H H spoken on
this.
Hoho does it work.k.here are
chchlenges when you have a an
overwhelelng majority coming
down as thth did in this case?
>> The supreme court spoke
frfrkly on the narrow issueuef
whether R W York's laws
regardinin the carrying of
firearms arereonstitutional and
they found that that law was too
gue and discretionary Y D was
not T sed on objectiti
standards.s.
We do not agreeeeith that.
Support New York.
We supportededew York in that
case.
But even though thahadecision,
this decisisn narrowly focused
on the New York K W, the import
of this N N historical analogog
test potentitily speaks T
common sense gun laws in
Connecticut, Massachusetts, new
York and across S E country and
that is why we expxpt activivts,
the NRA, the G G lobby to now
minehis opinion andook for
language that may G GE them an
opening attack constitutional
laws, those that have stood Upp
to challengegeike those in
Connecticut.
Judy: Let me ask you abouou this
bipartisan gun deal workiki its
way through the congresesright
now.w.
It looks like it will L ve the
votes S be passesend signedy
the president.
How W ch difference do you U ink
that W wl make addressing gun
violence in this C cntry?
>>T willake S se difference
and were V vy proudf senator
murprp and senator Blumenthal
but we have too more.
Our children are getting killed
school.
Our childrenre at risk.
People Saye politicizehis
issue.e.
W does it politicici this
quqution if all W ware T ting to
do I keep our children safe?
How is thatat political
estion?
It is not.
Dy:he attorneyeneral from
nnecticut, William tonon thank
you.
>> Thank you.