Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/19pdf/18-280_ba7d.pdf
Page Number: 8.0

Cite as:  590 U. S. ____ (2020) 

5 

ALITO, J., dissenting 

wishes to possess and the address for which the license is
sought.  It must list all the applicant’s residences and places 
of employment for the past five years.  Id., at 99–100, 104– 
105.  An  applicant  must  answer  questions  about  past  ar-
rests,  summonses,  indictments,  convictions,  and  civil  or-
ders,  and  must  respond  to  probing  questions  about  past 
drug use, subpoenas and testimony, unsuccessful applica-
tions for civil service positions, military service, mental ill-
ness,  and  physical  conditions  (such  as  “Epilepsy,”  “Diabe-
tes,” or “any Nervous Disorder”) that could, in the judgment
of the License Division, interfere with the use of a handgun. 
Id., at 96–97, 101–102.  The applicant must explain where
and how he or she will safeguard the handgun when not in
use, and furnish the name and address of a New York State 
resident who will take custody of the handgun in the event 
of the applicant’s death or disability.  Id., at 104. 

And  these  application  requirements  are  only  the  begin-
ning.  The submission of an application triggers a “ ‘rigor-
ous’ ”  police  investigation  “into  the  applicant’s  mental
health  history,  criminal  history,  [and]  moral  character.” 
Kachalsky v. County of Westchester, 701 F. 3d 81, 87 (CA2 
2012).  A licensing officer is required by law to review men-
tal health records, investigate the truthfulness of the state-
ments  in  the  application,  and  forward  the  applicant’s  fin-
gerprints  to  the  New  York  State  Division  of  Criminal 
Justice Services and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to 
determine if the applicant has a criminal record.  N. Y. Pe-
nal Law Ann. §§400.00(1), (4).  Under City law, grounds for 
denial include, among other things, any arrest, indictment,
or conviction for a crime or violation (with the exception of 
minor traffic violations) in any federal, state, or local juris-
diction; a dishonorable discharge from the military; alcohol-
ism,  drug  use,  or  mental  illness;  “a  poor  driving  history”;
failure to pay debts, including child support and taxes; and
untruthfulness in the application.  38 N. Y. C. R. R. §5–10. 
The  process  also  includes  an  in-person  interview,  during