Photo Courtesy of Mayor Eric Adams
Left: The temporary signage that will be posted around Times Square, starting Thursday, Sept. 1. Right: The boundary of the Times Square “sensitive location” defined under the law, and the locations where signs will be placed.
By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday announced that the City is launching a comprehensive outreach plan to educate and inform New Yorkers about new State legislation, going into effect Thursday, Sept. 1, governing concealed carry regulations across the state.
The provisions of the legislation will require concealed carry license applicants to meet revised eligibility requirements and complete a state-regulated firearms training course, as well as defines certain “sensitive locations” where guns are not permitted.
The city will also launch a website tomorrow with Frequently Asked Questions to educate New Yorkers about the law. The FAQs will provide an overview of the legislation and what changes New Yorkers can expect. The page will be updated periodically to respond to New Yorkers’ concerns and provide helpful information.
On June 23, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down New York’s handgun-licensing law in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen. Before the Supreme Court’s decision, the law required applicants for conceal carry gun licenses to show “proper cause,” but the court ruled that New York state’s “proper cause” requirement violated the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
On July 1, 2022, New York State enacted Chapter 371 of the Laws of 2022 in response to the limitations set forth under the Bruen decision. The state law revises specific eligibility requirements to the concealed carry licensing process and restricts the carrying of concealed weapons in a specified list of “sensitive locations.” It also enhances safe storage requirements and background check coordination, as well as amends the State’s existing body armor purchase ban to include hard body armor.
“The U.S. Supreme Court’s Bruen decision was the shot heard round the world that took dead aim at the safety of all New Yorkers. New York City will defend itself against this decision, and, beginning tomorrow, new eligibility requirements for concealed carry permit applicants and restrictions on the carrying of concealed weapons in ‘sensitive locations,’ like Times Square, take effect,” Adams said. “We will be posting signage at every entrance into Times Square informing those traveling through that the area is a gun-free zone and that licensed gun carriers and others may not enter with a gun unless otherwise specially authorized by law. As mayor of New York City and a former police officer, my top priority will always be the safety of all 8.8 million people who call this city home, so while the Supreme Court decision may have opened an additional river feeding the sea of gun violence, we are doing everything we can to dam it and keep New York the safest big city in America.”
Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Woodhaven) added, “After we passed our gun safety bill in the extraordinary session in Albany, Mayor Adams is implementing and educating New Yorkers on this life-saving legislation. The mayor will ensure that everyone knows where our gun-free zones are, from schools to subways to Times Square. In a year where there have already been 1,000 shootings, including one last week in my district that left a man in critical condition, this preemptive action will keep firearms out of sensitive areas and stop gun violence before it starts.”
