Times Union:

The New York State Rifle & Pistol Association has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of state regulations that prohibit many gun owners from carrying their firearms in public areas without judicial authorization.

Buoyed by a recent federal appeals court decision that dismantled strict gun-control laws in the District of Columbia, the lawsuit filed in Albany this week seeks to open up a court challenge on whether constitutional rights under the Second Amendment extend beyond the home.

“We’re going to try to get the courts, particularly in New York, to look at the Second Amendment as a right that extends to everybody no matter where they may be, with some restrictions,” said Tom King, president of the roughly 35,000-member Rifle & Pistol Association.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Albany this week on behalf of Robert Nash, whose application for a conceal-carry permit was rejected two years ago by state Supreme Court Justice Richard C. McNally, Jr.

Bless your heart.  Is that what you’re going to try to do?  Then there is New Jersey.

The Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs announced February 5 that it has filed suit in federal court to overturn New Jersey’s draconian restrictions on carrying a handgun outside the home for self-defense. Under New Jersey law, a permit to carry a handgun may be issued only to those citizens who show that they face a unique need for self-defense—such as specific, documented death threats or actual attacks. Ordinary citizens are barred from carrying a handgun outside the home for self-defense, under threat of up to 10 years in prison. The plaintiffs in this lawsuit contend those restrictions violate the Second Amendment. Click here for a copy of the complaint.

I wonder if they planned this together?  At any rate, this comes right around the time Glenn Reynolds recommended against relying on the courts to secure gun rights.  If this goes to federal court, it’s already been decided by Judge Cathy Seibel, who ruled that “individuals do not have a constitutional right to carry a concealed handgun in public. The decision was rendered in the case of Kachalsky, et.al v. Cacace, et.al in the Southern District of New York.”

I wish them success, but I predict abject failure.  It’s really too bad.  I fear that the Northeast is too far gone to save.  The only option at that point is relocation to the South or West.  Entrusting the black-robed tyrants with your liberty has proven to be a bad strategy.