this is "nightline." >> tonight, breaking news. >> the motion to concur with an amendment is agreed to. >> the senate overwhelmingly approves gun legislation for the first time in decades. gunfight. as the nation grapples with an epidemic of gun violence, the supreme court overturns new york's century-old concealed weapons law. >> we don't need more guns on our streets. we're already dealing with a major gun violence crisis. >> gun rights advocates applauding the decision. >> we are not the problem, the problem is the criminals and the wrongdoers in the state. and the politicians have to learn that. >> why the impact will ricochet from coast to coast.

and title ix. as the seminal civil rights law turns 50 today, we look at its impact and legacy. >> something so simple has had an outsized impact for women and girls in education. >> and some of the unsung heroes that paved the way. >> don't let anyone take your fire. always stand up for your rights. >> how title ix changed the face of american sports.

♪ good evening. thank you for joining us. we begin with late-breaking news out of washington. the senate has passed the bipartisan "safer communities act" that was introduced after several mass shootings, including uvalde, texas, and buffalo, new york. the bill includes enhanced background checks and millions of dollars in funding for states to administer red flag laws. tonight passing 65-33. it's the first major piece of gun legislation to pass in congress in nearly three decades. now it heads to house. earlier today also in the nation's capital, the supreme court handing down a major victory for gun rights advocates that some say could make communities less safe, striking

down a century-old new york law that limited who could legally carry a concealed weapon. now some cities across the country are bracing for the impact. here's abc's trevor ault for our ongoing series "guns in america." >> i will wake up crying because i was having a dream every single night that the shooting happened over and over and over again. >> reporter: zeneta everhart knows firsthand the damage a gun can do. she sees it river day in her son. 21-year-old zaire was one of the three people who survived the tops grocery shooting in buffalo, new york. he'll have shrapnel in his body the rest of his life. >> that's what made it the most my son was at work doing what 21-year-olds do on saturday mornings. >> reporter: that shooting launched everhart on a crusade for stricter gun laws, testifying on capitol hill earlier this month. >> i continuously hear after every mass shooting that this is not who we are as americans and as a nation. hear me clearly.

this is exactly who we are. >> reporter: but just weeks later, the latest decision on gun control is setting back her fight. today the supreme court striking down a 100-year-old new york gun law now making it easier to carry a concealed handgun. >> leading up to this supreme court news, did you think that there was momentum for your cause? >> absolutely. >> how do you feel now? >> i feel disgusted. i'm disgusted. what are we doing in this country? >> reporter: in a 6-3 ruling, the justices determined new york could no longer require people to show a special need for self-protection in order to carry a concealed gun outside their home. that the law violated the second amendment. the conservative judges were concerned it gave local officials too much discretion. >> about 80 million americans live in states that, until today, had a law basically saying, if you wanted to carry a gun, you need to have some good

reason to do it. and in all of those states the supreme court has said, those laws are no longer constitutional. >> reporter: the ruling seemingly flies in the face of national opinion. a new poll shows 66% of americans support stricter gun laws. >> i think we will almost certainly see an increase in the number of guns in circulation, including on the streets of very densely populated cities. >> reporter: in his dissent, justin stephen breyer mentions the nearly 300 american mass shootings that have already occurred this year, saying the court's decision does not consider the potentially deadly consequences and that it burdens states' efforts in preventing gun violence and protecting the safety of its citizens. but justice samuel alito firing back, writing, how does the dissent account for the fact that one of the mass shootings near the top of its list took place in buffalo? the new york law at issue in this case obviously did not stop that perpetrator. >> we need gun regulation. point blank, period. a handgun still can kill people.

it can still kill a lot of people. >> reporter: new york state legislators will now have to start from scratch to determine where concealed carry is allowed. officials are already beginning to review the permitting process. >> we do not need people entering our subways, our restaurants, our movie theaters with concealed weapons. we don't need more guns on our streets. >> reporter: but for new yorker cheryl apple, today's ruling is what she hoped for. >> that's a great shot. >> yeah, it is. >> reporter: the mother of five runs a small business near albany and says she recently began fearing for her life. >> the uptick in violence has just been astronomical. the gun violence. i just felt that i needed to be able to protect myself. >> reporter: she applied for an unrestricted license to carry her 9-millimeter pistol almost anywhere she goes. a 10-month-long process that included a background check, safety seminar, and an interview with a judge. >> you know, i travel to and from my job at night. sometimes late.

sometimes early in the morning. and that i just felt that it would make me feel safe. i feel confident with my weapon. i don't think the cheryls are the ones out there that are hurting people and committing the crimes and being unsafe with their guns. >> reporter: she says she doesn't worry about accidentally shooting the wrong person. >> i would have before i took this class. but now i don't, not at all. >> the second amendment does not end at your doorstep. >> reporter: tom king's group, the new york state rifle and pistol association, were plaintiffs in the case. >> we are not the problem. the problem is the criminals and the wrongdoers in the state. and the politicians have to learn that. >> for me personally and emotionally, i think that i was kind of already preparing myself for this decision, knowing the way this court has been packed by donald trump. i wasn't that surprised. i'm just disappointed. >> reporter: david hogg was a senior at marjory stoneman douglas high school in parkland, florida, when a gunman opened fire and killed 17 students,

injuring 17 others, in 2018. it spurred hogg into activism, cofounding "march for our lives," a youth-led movement. for children ages 1 to 19, gun injuries are now the leading cause of death. >> this decision will get kids killed, is going to get people killed. it only serves to further deregulate our already unregulated militia and to further endanger the domestic tranquilly that unfortunately we have so little of right now in our country. >> reporter: he believes this ruling will make the streets even more dangerous. fbi data shows handguns were used in the majority of gun homicides in the u.s. >> i think this decision is going to make it easier for bad guys with guns to get guns in the first place. >> does any part of you feel concern that now this is your future? >> i'm going to sit at that table until i keel over. because my son has pieces of a bullet in his back.

and that will be there for the rest of his life. so that means that will be there for the rest of my life. so that means that i'm going to always have something to say about it. always. i'm never going to stop talking about it. >> our thanks to trevor. earlier tonight i spoke with new york city mayor eric adams about his reaction to the ruling. mr. mayor, thank you so much for joining us. a few questions for you this evening. gun violence is plaguing cities everywhere. gun arrests in new york city are at a 28-year high. are new yorkers now less safe after today's ruling? >> so true, and when you think about this decision, was supposedly rooted in our historical past connection with guns. but it did not take into account the reality of today. americans and new yorkers are less safe based on this decision by the supreme court. >> you're the mayor of the most

populous city in the country. but 80 million americans live in states that are impacted by today's ruling. do you worry that gun violence will go up all over america now as a result of this? >> we had one of the most stringent gun permit and carry laws in the country. and now this has completely disrupted our pursuit to ensure our streets are safe, and it's taken away the progress that we have made. 3,000 guns my officers have removed from the streets. now we have to go after this pursuit of what the supreme court has put in place. >> in his opinion today, justice brett kavanaugh stated, quote, why isn't it good enough to say, i live in a violent area and i want to be able to defend myself. what's your reaction to that statement? >> we are not jesse james and the sundance kids. we have a city of law enforcement officers, and we are a city of rules and a country of rules. we cannot go back to the days of

the wild wild west when you had six-shooters. bad guys now have ak-47s and they have long guns. when the constitution was created, it was not created with this type of artillery. and i'm surprised that the judge is not clear on the realities that are playing out on american cities right now. >> finally, i was struck by how quickly you came out and responded today. you're a democrat, you're mayor of this large city. you're also a former cop. you're a gun owner. what was your gut reaction when this ruling first came in? >> i stated it over and over again. when this ruling was pending, that this issue was keeping me up at night. i know what it is to send a message that it is okay carrying a firearm. 2019, we had only five firearms found in our schools for the entire year. we're up to 21 within six months. it's not only the bad guys that

will use this as an opportunity, but people need to realize over one-third of those who die from guns are suicide. when a gun is in your home, when a gun is in your business, you're more likely to use it. and it's unfortunate that the supreme court did not take this into account. and that is what kept me up at night. and i'm concerned about it now. >> mayor, always grateful for your time. thank you, sir. >> thank you. up next, title ix turns 50 today. honoring the heroes of that pioneering law. abetes? discover the power of 3 in the ozempic® tri-zone. in my ozempic® tri-zone, i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. announcer: ozempic® provides powerful a1c reduction. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events

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♪ today it is hard to imagine a world without title ix. the groundbreaking law that changed everything about women's sports. that's perhaps the greatest measure of its success. here's abc's deborah roberts. >> okay. this is my picture from 1964, making the olympic team. >> reporter: for wyomia tyus, this is not just memories. >> my medals from mexico city. both gold. it may not look like it, but they are. >> reporter: this is history. the 76-year-old is a living legend. she broke olympic records, becoming the first person ever to win back-to-back gold medals in the 100-meter dash. but her feats and her talent never getting the shine they deserved. >> people always say, you were the first person.

yeah, but you know, if you talk to the world, they won't know that. they'll tell you it was a man that did it. >> reporter: tyas competed during an era when women in athletics were not valued. she went on to fight for more equality in sports. tyus' story just one of many profiled in espn's latest docuseries "37 yards" which looks at title ix, the landmark civil rights law. it marked a watershed moment for women's right when it was signed in 1972 -- >> president nixon reluctantly signed the bill -- >> reporter: -- forcing schools to create equitable space for women and girls in the classroom, on sports teams, and with scholarships. >> it's 50 years since we've had title ix. and it has had impacts that i think its founders could not have dreamed of. >> reporter: at the helm of the project, award-winning filmmaker dawn porter, who has chronicled pivotal moments and people in american history, like civil

rights icon john lewis in the critically acclaimed documentary "good trouble." >> get in trouble, good trouble, necessary trouble! >> what led you to look at title ix? >> you know, title ix is one of the most misunderstood civil rights laws. it just says, no person shall be discriminated against in education. but something so simple has had an outsized impact for women and girls in education. >> reporter: the law has evolved to help fight sexual harassment and discrimination, along with paving the way for women in sports. but its existence has also been met with challenges. >> part of the reason that it's known as a sports law, the biggest backlash was from big coaches at big universities. and they thought, this is going to ruin athletics for men. >> reporter: before title ix, around 32,000 women played sports in college. in 2020, that number soaring to more than 200,000.

>> the idea that we could help remind younger women of the battles that came before. of all of the hard work that has gone into presenting them with the opportunities that they have. that was a major motivation for doing this series. >> reporter: one of the pioneers who fought those battles, tennis legend billie jean king. the beginnings of her advocacy profiled in the series. >> i started to realize that everybody who played wore white shoes, white socks, white clothes, played with white balls, everybody that played was white. i thought, it shouldn't matter your skin color, your religion -- it didn't make sense to me, even at that young age. that epiphany shaped the rest of my life. >> billie jean is everywhere. she's one of the first to challenge inequality in women's pay in professional tennis. she is now a current part-owner of a women's soccer team. she's there at the start of professional basketball. she just never quits.

>> you also introduce us to lesser-known voices. the discovery of the story of wyomia tyus is one of the things i'm proudest of in the series. >> why don't we know her name as we know billie jean king and so many others? >> black women have the dual discrimination deficit. so not only are you a woman, you're a black woman. so you have to work, what, four times as hard in order to get noticed. sometimes some of us black women have to melt the sister out. >> 30 students and with booker washington as the only teacher began what is now known as tuskegee institute. >> tuskegee was the first school that gave some type of work aid or scholarship to black women. and then you had black colleges like texas southern, tennessee state. and that was it. no other schools did anything for women in sports, any sport. >> it was extremely rare for any woman of any race or background

to get an athletic scholarship. that is such a huge part of history, the role of the hbcus in supporting women of that time. >> reporter: at the age of 15, tyus was scouted by tennessee state university's women's track and field coach ed temple. >> this is a letter that mr. temple sent to my mom and i saying that i had been awarded a scholarship to tennessee state. you know, this is the start of my life. >> reporter: tyus eventually qualifying for the 1964 olympics in tokyo where she won her first gold medal. >> edith mcguire, marilyn white, and myself. the gun went off. and i am running. and i keep going. we get to the tape, lean at the tape. edie's running over, "ou won!" i did. >> reporter: she would go on to win gold again in the 100 meter at the 1968 games in mexico city. >> it is a feat that broke all records at the time, and no one covered her. she wore dark shorts to protest

discrimination, like the famous picture of the men. wyomia was doing her own protest, and no one asked her about it. >> she went on to help form the women's sports foundation with billie jean king. >> that's right. she would make sure that the needs of the minority women were also being expressed and being heard. wyomia tyus is indisputably an unsung hero of the title ix movement. >> reporter: the movement to protect title ix continues. >> the future of title ix is another one of those civil rights laws that we need to be vigilant about. >> it still is not equal. don't let anyone take your fire from you. always stand up for your rights. if nobody else will hear you, continue to yell from the mountaintop. >> our thanks to deborah. you can watch part 1 and part 2 of espn's "37 words" now on hulu. we'll be right back. ping you in your tracks...

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♪ that's "nightline" for this evening. catch our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here tomorrow. thanks for the company, america. good night.