Metro

NYers still need ‘proper cause’ to carry concealed handguns

New Yorkers don’t have an automatic right to pack heat, a Manhattan appeals court ruled yesterday.

In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a state licensing law that requires “proper cause” to carry a concealed handgun in public.

Five Westchester residents and the Second Amendment Foundation had challenged the law, claiming that a carry permit is a “fundamental right” of any “law-abiding citizen.”

One of the plaintiffs, Christina Nikolov, further argued that she’s more likely to be the victim of violence because she’s a transgender woman.

But the appeals court said that “limiting handgun possession to persons who have an articulable basis for believing they will need the weapon for self-defense is in the best interest of public safety and outweighs the need to have a handgun for an unexpected confrontation.”

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman hailed the ruling as a “major” victory for everyone “rightly concerned about the scourge of gun violence that all too often plagues our communities.”

Lawyer Alan Gura, who represented the plaintiffs, said the case was “far from over,” adding: “We’re reviewing our options.”

bruce.golding@nypost.com