Chris Lieberman, FISM News
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New York residents will now be required to submit a list of their social media accounts as part of a sweeping new gun control bill that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed into law on Friday.
After last month’s Supreme Court decision striking down a New York law that required concealed carry applicants to demonstrate “proper cause” to carry a firearm outside the home, Hochul called an extraordinary session of the Democrat-controlled state legislature in order to pass a new law to comply with the court’s ruling.
“The Supreme Court’s decisions were certainly setbacks. But we view them as only temporary setbacks because I refuse, as I’ve said from day one, I refuse to surrender my right as Governor to protect New Yorkers from gun violence or any other form of harm,” said Hochul at a news conference in Albany. “They may think they can change our lives with the stroke of a pen, but we have pens too.”
The new law requires gun permit applicants to be of “good moral character” by demonstrating “the essential character, temperament, and judgment necessary to be entrusted with a weapon and to use it only in a manner that does not endanger oneself and others.” In order to do that, applicants will now be required to submit a list of all social media accounts maintained over the past three years. Hochul defended the social media requirement, explaining, “Sometimes, [gun owners are] telegraphing their intent to cause harm to others.”
Applicants must also provide four character witnesses, meet for an in-person interview with a licensing officer, complete 16 hours of gun safety training and two hours of training at a firing range, undergo periodic background checks, and give the names and contact information of all adults living in their household.
In addition, the bill restricts gun owners from carrying their weapons in “sensitive places,” including government buildings, public protests, medical facilities, places of worship, libraries, playgrounds, parks, zoos, schools, summer camps, addiction-support centers, homeless shelters, nursing homes, public transit, places where alcohol or marijuana is consumed, museums, theaters, stadiums, polling places, and Times Square in New York City. Guns will also no longer be allowed in private businesses unless the owner puts up signs stating that they are permitted.
Supporters of the bill say that it strikes the right balance between complying with the Supreme Court’s ruling and preventing guns from getting into the hands of those who would do harm. But gun-rights advocates balked at the new law and have vowed to appeal it, saying that it still violates the Second Amendment. “Now we’re going to let the pizzeria owner decide whether or not I can express my constitutional right,” said State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R). “This is a disgrace. See you in the courts.”
The NRA also weighed in, calling the law a “flagrant violation” of the court’s decision. “Gov. Hochul and her anti-Second Amendment allies in Albany have defied the United States Supreme Court with an intentionally malicious rewriting of New York’s concealed carry law,” said New York NRA state director Darin Hoens in a statement.
The new law is expected to face challenges in court ahead of Sept. 1, the date it is scheduled to go into effect.