Southern California Democrats condemn SCOTUS ruling striking down NY concealed carry gun law

Southern California Democrats condemned Thursday a U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down a New York law that restricts concealed weapons licenses. 

Local legislatures are calling it an attack on public safety, while gun-rights groups hailed it as a "watershed" decision in support of gun rights. Gov. Gavin Newsom called the 6-3 ruling "a dark day in America."

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, also said the ruling would make communities "less safe."

"At the same time as the Senate advances bipartisan legislation to take on America's crisis of gun violence, the extreme right-wing majority on the Supreme Court has chosen to exacerbate it," Padilla, a former Los Angeles City Council member and state senator, said in a statement.

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer said the ruling will endanger public safety.

"As mass shootings and daily incidents of gun violence devastate families across our nation, today's reckless Supreme Court ruling will make all Americans less safe -- and that includes Angelenos," Feuer said in a statement.

"Allowing more guns in public places is a recipe for tragedy and a nightmare for law enforcement striving to protect our families. In the wake of this dangerous decision, we will do everything in our power to safeguard vital California and Los Angeles laws that have prevented countless acts of gun violence."

"This dangerous decision misinterprets the Constitution and jeopardizes gun safety laws in a number of states, including California, which has some of the most effective gun safety measures in the nation."

The group Gun Owners of California called the ruling "incredible," saying, "text, history and tradition at the founding is the new standard."

National Rifle Association CEO and Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre hailed the ruling.

"Today's ruling is a watershed win for good men and women all across America and is the result of a decades-long fight the NRA has led," he said in a statement. "The right to self-defense and to defend your family and loved ones should not end at your home."

The ruling focused on the New York law's requirement for people to show a "special need" to carry a concealed weapon, beyond a simple desire for self-defense. California has a similar restriction that will likely be undone by the ruling.