Gov. Kathy Hochul joined 10 other governors in urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold assault-weapons restrictions, arguing that states need authority to address the public-safety and financial consequences of mass shootings.
The Governors Safer Communities Initiative filed its brief Wednesday in the consolidated cases Viramontes v. Cook County and Grant v. Higgins. The Supreme Court has scheduled arguments for Dec. 2.
The cases concern restrictions in Cook County, Illinois, and Connecticut. The constitutional question before the justices is whether the Second and Fourteenth Amendments protect the right to possess AR-15-platform and similar semiautomatic rifles.
The governors are supporting the governments defending the restrictions. They argue that states must retain room to adopt laws suited to their communities and that the lower-court judgments upholding the challenged measures should stand.
Governors describe costs beyond a shooting scene
The brief focuses on the responsibilities governors face after mass shootings: coordinating law enforcement, supporting emergency medical care, paying for victim services and helping communities recover over time.
It recounts attacks in Buffalo, New York; Highland Park, Illinois; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Monterey Park, California. The governors describe those experiences as a basis for their interest in preserving state authority over weapons restrictions.
They argue that a large response can draw police officers, ambulances and other resources away from unrelated emergencies. Hospitals can face sudden pressure on blood supplies and operating rooms, followed by continuing treatment and recovery costs.
In New York, the brief cites $2.8 million in combined federal and state funding committed within days of the 2022 Buffalo supermarket attack for victim compensation, counseling and transportation assistance. It also points to another $2.5 million committed nearly a year later to continue services through June 2025.
Hochul, a Buffalo native, cited her experience responding to that attack in explaining New York’s participation. She said the state would defend its ability to protect residents against gun violence.
Restrictions and their effects are central to the argument
The governors contend that assault-weapons restrictions are constitutional and can reduce the toll of mass shootings. Their filing discusses the role of weapon features and large-capacity magazines in allowing attackers to fire repeatedly before reloading.
The brief cites an observational study of U.S. county mass-shooting incidents from 2014 through 2022 that associated state assault-weapons bans with a 41% lower incidence of mass-shooting fatalities. Researchers used Gun Violence Archive records and adjusted their county-level model for social fragmentation, median age and gun-related homicides.
That is an association across counties, rather than a finding that a ban alone caused a specific reduction. The governors cite the research in support of their legal argument that elected state leaders should be able to respond to gun violence.
The coalition includes governors from California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington. The participating states’ laws differ, but the governors say they share an interest in retaining that policymaking authority.
New York points to its broader gun policy
The governor’s office said Hochul has committed $4 billion to public-safety initiatives since taking office, including more than $1 billion for gun-violence prevention.
The office also reported a 67% reduction over five years in shootings involving injuries in the 28 communities participating in the state’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination initiative.
Other New York actions cited in the announcement include expanded cooperation with 11 states to intercept weapons along the Interstate 95 corridor, changes to the state’s red-flag law and concealed-carry rules, and efforts addressing 3-D-printed firearms and devices that convert firearms to automatic fire.
Hochul also recently signed measures expanding safe-storage requirements and restricting ammunition purchases by people legally barred from buying guns, according to the governor’s office.
The Supreme Court cases directly challenge the Cook County and Connecticut measures. The governors argue that the outcome could also affect other jurisdictions’ ability to regulate similar weapons, including New York.
The next scheduled step is the Dec. 2 argument in the consolidated cases, which will receive a total of one hour under the court’s order.
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