Changes to New York City’s gun laws will allow nonresidents to carry firearms throughout the state.
The New York Police Department last week issued an emergency order allowing nonresidents to apply for permits to carry a concealed weapon in the city, a move that could create a backdoor for out-of-state residents to carry guns in the state.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed the changes into law last Tuesday, allowing nonresidents to apply for gun permits in the city. Before the new order, NYPD rules did not include formal procedures for applicants who do not live in New York or are primarily employed in New York City. The state also does not provide any reciprocity for people who hold a similar permit from another state.
Newsweek has emailed Adams and the offices of New York Governor Kathy Hochul for comment.
The announcement of the passage states that the changes to New York City’s gun laws “will ensure that the City is able to adequately regulate handgun ownership in New York City while complying with the Bruen decision.”
The Supreme Court’s landmark decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen repealed a century-old New York State law that required applicants to demonstrate “good cause” for a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
“Delaying the implementation of these additional rules would significantly impair the City of New York’s ability to effectively and legally regulate handgun ownership within its jurisdiction,” the statement said.
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The ruling, issued in June 2022, sparked several lawsuits challenging federal and state gun laws, including a lawsuit by Gun Owners of America (GOA) and the Gun Owners Foundation (GOF) arguing that New York State’s gun laws deprived nonresidents of their Second Amendment rights.
GOA and GOF’s lawsuit was filed earlier this year on behalf of several nonresidents seeking to obtain a carry permit in New York.
“Those with out-of-state driver’s licenses may drive in New York, but exercising the constitutional right to bear arms in New York State is completely out of reach for the 94% of Americans who are not New York State residents,” GOA said in a press release. “New York is one of the few states where non-residents are not permitted to exercise their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.”
GOA senior vice president Erich Pratt welcomed the new changes on Friday, calling them “great news for the countless millions of Americans who work in or visit New York each year.”
“It is crucial that everyone can exercise their inherent right to self-defense, but until now, anti-gun activists in New York have denied most Americans this fundamental right,” he said. Newsweek in a statement.
Pratt added that the organization will continue to monitor local cases to ensure these permits are issued “in a timely manner and without burdens,” and warned that if the NYPD fails to do so, GOA would “gladly” file another lawsuit naming the police department and Adams as defendants.
Update 12/24/08, 11:18 a.m. ET: This headline has been updated to reflect that the rules for gun owners have changed. This is not an official change in the law.
