The NYPD announced an “emergency rule” late Wednesday afternoon setting new parameters for individuals seeking to obtain permits to carry guns in New York City.
The rule aims to bring the city in compliance with a Supreme Court decision handed down in June that overturned New York state’s 109-year-old permit laws, with the conservative majority claiming that the laws interfered with individual rights to self-defense and to bear arms.
Now the NYPD have released what they are calling an emergency rule, which provides additional guidance to gun license applicants and brings the law up to date with the controversial judgment.
According to the police department, a new fundamental pivot when applying for a concealed carry permit will no longer force aspiring candidates to prove proper cause, which required them to demonstrate a need for the firearm. Not only that, but those also seeking a gun will now be able to file paperwork online.
“These additional rules include: elimination of the “proper cause” standard; authorization of electronic filing of documents relating to handgun licensure; adding certain documents required to apply for and receive a handgun license,” the NYPD wrote on Aug. 24.
Guns won’t be readily acceptable in all areas. The NYPD ditched a regulation that would allow guns to be carried with impunity, and underscored that Times Square is a sensitive location zone, even defining the specific parameters of what streets and avenues are off-limits.
Individuals who reside in this zone or have their business there with a carry license are permitted to have their concealed weapon when they leave their home to another destination, but this journey must be continuous and uninterrupted. Additionally, the gun must be unloaded and carried in a locked container; the ammunition must be carried separately.
While the process to receive a gun permit in New York has seemingly been made a great deal easier, those concerned about an overflow of bullets can breathe a small sigh of relief since the NYPD has also thrown in a loophole that could make the process troublesome for some.
Applicants will be required to include four-character references on their submission to vouch for their safety in addition to providing a list of all social media accounts they have used in the three years prior to applying.
Moreover, prospective gun owners will also have to sit down for an in-person interview and undergo a special training demonstrating firearm safety. These additional factors could possibly disqualify some applicants and significantly increase the time it would take to receive a gun.
The Supreme Court’s decision, which deemed it a right for New Yorkers to carry firearms outside of the home, left many city officials bracing for a sudden influx in street guns. Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell openly criticized the ruling when it was passed down earlier this summer.
“If this rule is implemented, the iron pipeline is going to be the Van Wyck, not the I-95. People are going to be empowered to believe they can carry. This has a significant impact on not only those guns that come up the pipeline, but the guns that are being sold,” Mayor Adams said on June 23.
