ALBANY, N.Y. (1010 WINS) — The New York State legislature passed a sweeping gun control bill on Friday in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a century-old New York law that required “proper cause” to carry a weapon in public.
Gov. Kathy Hochul called a special legislative session on Thursday and Friday in order to push through the gun control changes.
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that enshrined abortion rights in the U.S., Hochul also used the special session to advocate for a state constitutional amendment that would safeguard reproductive rights and expand protections for transgender New Yorkers.
That amendment is still working its way through the legislature, but Hochul said at a press conference Friday afternoon that legislators had come to a “conceptual agreement.”
She said she expected the amendment to pass Friday evening.
Once Hochul signs the new gun bill into law, it will allow gun owners to apply for concealed carry licenses, but would restrict where weapons could be brought.
For example, guns would only be allowed in businesses if the owner put up a sign explicitly allowing it.
Other off-limits locations include demonstrations, schools, healthcare facilities, parks, Times Square, public transit, bars, polling places, entertainment venues and more.
It will be a felony to bring a gun to a restricted area.
Gun license applicants will be subject to interviews, social media monitoring and monthly background checks. They will also need to undergo 15 hours of training at a firing range, provide contact information for household members and renew their licenses every three years.
Permits will be denied for a broader range of criminal offenses.
The bill also contains a slew of other provisions and rules surrounding the purchase of ammunition and gun accessories, the storage of weapons and other minutiae for gun ownership.
It allows for local governments to impose even tighter gun laws if they so choose as well.
* Article from: audacy.com
