Democrats said she and lawmakers agreed on the outlines of a gun control bill that would be passed as early as Thursday, just days after the U.S. Supreme Court annulled the gun licensing law. Because of the court ruling, ordinary New Yorkers will be able, for the first time in more than a century, to be allowed to carry a gun outside their home for personal defense. Previously, it was difficult to obtain an unlimited firearms license unless you worked in law enforcement or security. But Hotsul said she also wanted to protect the rights of property owners who decide they do not want firearms on the premises. Businesses that want guns around should put up a sign that says “Hidden guns are welcome here” or words to that effect, Hotsul said. “Otherwise the presumption will be in New York State that it is not.” “We will protect the rights of private property owners by allowing them not to submit to anyone entering their workplace or a bar, restaurant with a hidden weapon,” Hotsul said. Weapons rights groups have expressed the idea that firearms could be banned in many places by default. “It tells business owners how to go about their business if they want to stay open. “These are unconstitutional orders and I think they will be repealed by the courts,” said Aaron Dorr, executive director of the New York State Firearms Association. The impetus for the new restrictions follows a ruling by the Supreme Court that repealed a provision in the New York Licensing Act that required people to pose an unusual threat to their safety in order to carry a firearm. The state is imposing new gun licensing requirements, Hotsul said, including mandatory 15-hour in-person training in firearms. The legislature will also introduce new rules regarding the storage of firearms in homes and vehicles, he said. Hotsul and his fellow Democrats also plan to create a comprehensive list of “sensitive places” where the average citizen will be completely barred from carrying weapons, including government buildings, hospitals, schools and public transportation. Some states, including California, are considering similar measures to review gun control measures following a Supreme Court ruling. New York will be the first state to pass a law that would allow concealed weapons only to companies that explicitly allow it, according to David Pucino, deputy general counsel at the Giffords Legal Center for the Prevention of Gun Violence. In many states where carrying weapons is common, the burden is usually on companies to put up signs that say guns are not allowed. Some states, including Louisiana and South Carolina, require people to obtain a permit to carry firearms in private homes. “The state is responding very powerfully to the new dangers posed by the court, but in a way that fits within the framework proposed by the court on what a constitutional arms law looks like,” Puccino said. The Supreme Court ruling said states could ban guns in certain locations, but warned that it would be unconstitutional to simply ban guns in all densely populated areas. Hotsul said she was still working with lawmakers to determine the details of gun control legislation, including her proposal to ban people with a history of dangerous behavior from obtaining firearms licenses. Lawmakers will also require background checks for all markets for licensed ammunition, Hotsul said. This is already required in many states, and a 2013 state law would also require such checks in New York once the state creates a database. However, legislative leaders and former governor Andrew Cuomo agreed in 2015 to stop work on this database. Dor, executive director of the New York State Firearms Association, said the requirement of a history check would harass law-abiding gun owners without aiding public safety. “No criminal is going to go into a retail store to buy ammunition,” Dor said. “This is an absurd attempt to demonize law-abiding gun owners once again.”
Maysoon Khan contributed to reports from Albany, New York Khan is a member of the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a non-profit national service program that places reporters in local newsrooms to cover hidden issues. Follow Maysoon Khan on Twitter.
