New York governor to unveil new gun legislation in response to Supreme Court ruling

(ALBANY, N.Y.) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday detailed what is in gun safety legislation she will propose during a special state legislative session scheduled for Thursday.Hochul is set to propose a slew of ideas in response to last week’s Supreme Court decision to strike down a state law that had limited the concealed carry of handguns in public to people who had “proper cause.”

“There’s more to do, this is a nationwide crisis. Too many lives are being lost here in New York, but I will not rest, as the governor of this state, until we have done everything in our power to end this gun epidemic once and for all,” Hochul said.

The legislation will define a number of “sensitive locations” where people will not be allowed to carry concealed guns, Hochul said.

Those locations include: federal, state, local government buildings; health and medical facilities; places where children gather like daycares, parks, zoos and playgrounds; public transportation like subways and buses; polling places; and educational institutions, Hochul said.

If the proposed bill is signed into law, all private businesses will be classified as “no open carry” areas by default, unless business owners post signage indicating that people are allowed to carry concealed weapons, Hochul said.

Hochul’s proposed legislation will also strengthen the list of disqualifying criteria, banning those with a history of dangerous behavior from being able to get a permit.

The laws will also add a vehicle requirement to existing safe storage laws, requiring gun owners to lock up their guns when they are traveling to cut down on gun thefts from cars.

Gun owners with children in their homes aged 18 or younger will have to get safe storage for their guns, keeping them locked up.

The laws will improve information sharing for state police background checks, Hochul said.

Gun owners will also be required to get over 15 hours of in-person training to receive a concealed carry permit, Hochul said.

Hochul said the laws will require a background check for all purchases of ammunition for guns that need a permit. Gun owners will have to show their permit at the time of purchase.

The special legislative session comes over a month after a gunman killed 10 Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, in an allegedly racially motivated attack.

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