The state is reviewing its gun rules after a court ruled that ordinary citizens had the right to take up arms in public for self-defense, something New York had limited to law enforcement or security personnel. The new rules, which are being rushed through an emergency meeting of the Legislature, will allow many more gun owners to apply for a license to carry a concealed weapon, but will seek to impose new restrictions on where they can carry firearms. Lawmakers and Governor Kathy Hotsul’s staff had hoped for a vote on Thursday, but work on the bills was not complete when the day ended at midnight. The works continued in the early hours of Friday. “We continue to have serious discussions because the consequences are difficult to overestimate. “We want to make sure we do this in a constitutional way, in a way that is in line with the court’s opinion,” Brooklyn Democrat Sen. Zellnor Myrie told a news conference this afternoon at the State Capitol in New York. “We’re just trying to close the circle on some details.” A provision proposed Wednesday by Hotsul, a Democrat, would ban people from carrying firearms in the workplace unless owners put up a sign saying guns are welcome. New York would be the first state to pass such a rule, according to David Pucino, deputy general counsel at Giffords Law Center. In states where carrying weapons is more common, companies that want to keep guns away usually have to put up signs indicating that guns are not allowed. New York will also impose new gun licensing requirements, including mandatory 15 hours of in-person shooting range training. The legislature is also ready to introduce new rules on the storage of firearms in homes and vehicles. Pro-arms groups have criticized the proposed new restrictions, saying some of them violate the rights upheld by the Supreme Court. Hotsul and his fellow Democrats also plan to compile a list of “sensitive places” where the average person will be barred from carrying weapons, including hospitals, schools and public transportation. Other provisions require background checks on all licensed ammunition purchases and prohibit persons with a history of dangerous behavior from obtaining firearms licenses. Hotsul said the Supreme Court ruling came at a particularly painful time, with New York mourning the deaths of 10 people in a Buffalo supermarket shooting. “This decision is not just reckless. It is reprehensible. “It’s not what New Yorkers want.”
Maysoon Khan is a member of the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a national nonprofit program that places reporters in local newsrooms to cover hidden issues. Follow Maysoon Khan on Twitter.
