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Buffalo mayor Byron Brown is speaking out after the Supreme Court blocked a gun control law in New York, where 10 Black people were fatally shot last month.
On Thursday (June 23), the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against New York's law that required those who seek a gun license to prove "proper cause" to carry concealed weapons. The decision makes it easier to carry firearms in public after Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York was gunned down on May 14.
“It is a disappointment and it is a dark day for sensible gun reform in this nation,” Brown told ABC News.
The ruling comes after back-to-back mass shootings in America have renewed calls for gun reform.
Brown said the Supreme Court's decision would encourage more gun violence in the country and create yet another obstacle for law enforcement.
“I do see a concern for law enforcement," Brown said. "They will not know who is legally permitted to carry a weapon if there are more weapons being carried in a concealed fashion in the city of Buffalo, and across the state of New York and other communities across the country."
"It will make the job of law enforcement a lot more difficult," he added.
The Buffalo mayor also condemned New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who said the ruling against the state's law "correctly declares New York’s shameful attempt to shred Second Amendment rights on New Yorkers unconstitutional."
“Far too many innocent Americans are losing their lives to gun violence," Brown said. "We don't want to take away the rights of responsible gun owners."
"We certainly do not want to infringe on the Second Amendment, but it does make sense for there to be sensible gun reform that does not infringe on the rights of responsible gun owners and at the same time keeps average innocent Americans safe from unnecessary gun violence," the mayor continued.
News of the ruling came just before the Senate passed a historic bipartisan gun reform bill.
"...On the day when we are seeing further movement in Congress on sensible gun reform, this ruling comes down from the United States Supreme Court. It is a disappointment,” Brown said.
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