New York bans guns in many public places after Supreme Court ruling

New York, July 2 (BUS) : The state of New York on Friday passed a law banning the use of firearms in several public places, including Times Square, and requiring gun license applicants to prove their shooting proficiency and submit their social media accounts for review from by government officials. .

The law, which passed in an emergency legislative session, was enforced by a landmark US Supreme Court ruling last week that struck down New York’s restrictive gun licensing laws.

Reuters reported that the court’s conservative majority ruled for the first time that the US Constitution grants an individual the right to bear arms in public for self-defense.

New York’s Democratic leaders decried the ruling and the court, saying there would be more gun violence if more people were carrying guns.

They acknowledged that the state’s century-old permit system would need to be relaxed to comply with the ruling, but they sought to maintain as many restrictions as possible in the name of public safety. Some are likely to be targets of further legal challenges.

The court ruled that New York’s previous licensing system, dating back to 1911, gave too much discretion to officials to deny permits.

New York Governor Cathy Hochhol, a Democrat who has ordered a special session in the legislature, said the state’s gun licensing regulations have resulted in New York having the fifth lowest rate of gun deaths in the 50 US states.

“Our state will continue to protect New Yorkers from harm, despite this setback from the Supreme Court,” she said at a news conference in the state capital, Albany, as lawmakers debated the bill. “They may think they can change our lives with the stroke of a pen, but we have pens too.”

FKN