CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming is leading a coalition of 19 states that are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to allow them to submit a brief supporting a New Jersey man challenging that state's concealed weapons law.

A three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last summer ruled against the challenge from John M. Drake and others. Drake objected to a provision in New Jersey law that says people seeking permits to carry a concealed firearm must prove to police that they have a justifiable need.

The Wyoming attorney general's "friend of the court" brief says Wyoming and other states are concerned that if the appeals court ruling stands, it could threaten their less-restrictive concealed carry laws.

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