New York’s tightened gun licensing rules to go into effect, spark rush for pistol permits
The number of New Yorkers hoping to legally pack heat spiked this summer ahead of strict new permitting rules set to take effect on Thursday.
Applications for gun permits increased by 54% in the five boroughs after the Supreme Court struck down a century-old Empire State law requiring New Yorkers to show “proper cause” when seeking a concealed carry license, officials said Wednesday.
The jump comes as New York’s strict new laws increasing training and requiring the disclosure of social media accounts for new applicants go into effect on Thursday.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (left) with New York City Mayor Eric Adams (right) during an announcement in Manhattan, New York, on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, about new public safety actions ahead of new gun laws going into effect in New York state. (Kevin P. Coughlin/)
“It’s time to standardize this across the State of New York,” Gov. Hochul said during a Manhattan press conference with Mayor Adams and law enforcement officials. “We developed new standards, it will include training to make sure gun owners have the skills, the knowledge necessary, to carry, to store their guns.
“We’re not stripping the right away, we’re just saying you have to do it in a very responsible way,” she added.
Under the new rules, applicants for concealed carry permits must undergo a 16-hour classroom training course and an additional two hours of live-fire drills. Permit seekers must also disclose their social media accounts for the past three years to prove they are of “good moral character.”
New restrictions will also prevent people convicted of serious misdemeanors, including drunk driving, menacing and third-degree assault, from obtaining permits.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (left) shakes hands with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (right) in Manhattan, New York, on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, during the announcement of new public safety actions ahead of new gun laws going into effect in New York state. (Kevin P. Coughlin/)
State officials and the governor said the new requirements will apply to those who have filed requests for concealed carry permits but have yet to be issued a permit.
“That won’t make a difference because it’s who has a permit on the date, not when you applied,” Hochul said of reported upticks in applications across the state in recent months.
However, in the city and surrounding suburban counties, where additional restrictions were already on the books, permit holders will be required to undergo new training and screening every three years, when renewing licenses. That means anyone who applied for a permit between June and August within the city will fall under the old rules.
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“We are applying these new requirements to applications filed on or after (Sept. 1). This has been confirmed again with the License Division,” a City Hall official told the Daily News.
The NYPD is in charge of the permitting process in the city. A source said that investigators already check public-facing social media as part of the vetting procedure and can ask for additional info from applicants when necessary.
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said the department takes its role as the licensing agency within the five boroughs “very seriously.”
“The new laws and our rules properly balance the licensees’ rights with keeping the public safe, which is what we do,” Sewell said. “Eligibility requirements must be met by applicants who are seeking a permit.”
The new laws, which also bar guns from being carried in “sensitive locations” such as Times Square and all businesses unless an owner posts a sign welcoming pistol-packing patrons, were approved during a special legislative session held in June in response to the Supreme Court ruling.
Several lawsuits have been filed challenging the legality of the new restrictions, including one that argues providing lists of social media accounts could violate the First Amendment and limit free expression.
The federal suit, filed last month by an upstate man along with several gun rights groups, contends that the new conceal carry laws contain a slew of “blatantly unconstitutional” provisions.
A separate law goes into effect on Sept. 4, requiring a license for purchases of semi-automatic rifles in New York and raising the age to buy the weapons from 18 to 21. Prior to the statewide change, a license was already required for owners of rifles and shotguns in New York City.
