Last week a federal judge slapped the state law package that came into force in New York since last September to toughen the fight against violence with firearms, and declared several regulations as unconstitutional.
And while the legal battle that the State is waging in the courts continues to defend the implementation of the new regulations, approved as a counterweight to the Supreme Court’s decision to give freedom to carry weapons, this Tuesday the mayor of the Big Apple signed two municipal laws that prohibit the carrying of concealed pistols, revolvers and rifles in Times Square.
The alcalde, Eric Adams made the decision, even though the legality of the new laws statewide is under appeal, and made it clear that New York will continue to fight in court until the safety of New Yorkers and the more than 56 million tourists who visit the city every year.
With the new laws, the populous area of Times Square, which has already seen a couple of shootings and gun attacks in recent months, will become a call “zona sensible” in accordance with the new state gun laws. In this way, it will be totally prohibited for people with legal permits to carry weapons to carry them in the emblematic place, which covers several streets, including the Broadway theater area.
Likewise, another regulation formed by the Mayor and that went into effect in all five boroughs, in order to curb the violence in New York will require that the nypd police as well as the Office of Criminal Justice, produce an annual report on the trafficking of illegal weapons that arrive in the Big Apple.
Adams stressed that allowing guns to be carried in areas like Times Square, where it is presumed that much of the the 56 million tourists who come every year to visit, puts everyone at risk.
“This is the heart of our city and we don’t want a city, particularly here, where people carry illegal weapons or, according to the Supreme Court, legal weapons in this area,” he said. the local president, criticizing the Supreme Court for its decision to strike down gun requirements that have protected New York State and the City.
“That targeted the safety of New Yorkers and opened up another river that we have to dam and these two bills will help us dam those rivers. The Supreme Court’s decision came less than six weeks after 10 New Yorkers were shot to death in a Buffalo supermarket. the Mayor pointed out.
“Gun violence is a national nightmare, not a local nightmare, but a national nightmare. The gun industry generates more than $9 billion in revenue, yet it costs Americans $557 billion in revenue every day, due to the negative consequences of gun violence.”
Despite the judicial brakes on state gun laws that have been given in the courts, Adams insisted that they will not lower their guard by allowing the lives of New Yorkers and visitors to be under threat.
“We’re not going to live in fear and we’re going to make sure we create an environment where visitors to the city, like Times Square, don’t have to be paralyzed by fear. to know that someone carries a weapon in this area, “added the Democratic leader. “Today we establish by law that Times Square is a gun-free zone. Licensed gun carriers and others may not enter this area with a weapon, unless specifically authorized by law. But we do not stop here just to treat this area. We are fighting illegal guns coming into our city and prosecuting those who carry illegal guns.”
The Mayor’s new move comes at a time when it is known that more than 1,000 people die each year for firearms, and when the NYPD has successfully seized some 6,000 illegal weapons of the streets so far in 2022.
The New York City Police Commissioner, Keechant L. Sewell, He stressed that the new laws will serve to close the floodgates against armed violence in a sensitive area of the Big Apple, which is one of the busiest in the world.
“Our officers work tirelessly to stop the trafficking and use of illegal firearms and have recovered almost 6,000 weapons so far this year,” said the police chief. “These bills help our daily mission to protect New York City by improving public safety in one of the most unique and visited places in the nation, while ensuring the sharing of critical information.”
El Fiscal de Manhattan, Alvin Braggmentioned that enforcing “strict gun laws” is one of the main priorities of his office, and proof of this is that so far this year, more than 400 processings on that crime, which is equivalent to more than 20% of the cases last year.
“That work is vitally important. In the spirit of today’s bill, we have been focusing not only on those who carry guns within Manhattan, but also those who traffic them,” said the District Attorney.
“We have filed cases of gun component parts coming from Pennsylvania, guns coming from the South, particularly North Carolina. And we will continue to do that work to vigorously enforce our laws to ensure safety on this island (…) In addition to enforcing the law, we have also focused on investing in our communities. This summer we had a grant process and invested in 10 groups that work with our youth.”
Deanna Logan, director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ), He mentioned that promoting “common sense” data-driven policies to reduce gun violence in the five boroughs is vital in the fight against violence.
“We have been working with our City and State partners to make sure New Yorkers are aware of the new concealed carry regulations and Intro 602 furthers our mission of ensuring Times Square is a gun-free zone,” he said. the official, adding that this office will also work hand in hand with the police to study how illegal firearms are trafficked.
New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams insisted on reminding the Supreme Court that his “damaging decision” to strike down New York’s century-old gun laws put New Yorkers at risk of increased gun violence, and defended how the State and City have moved to face the lack of protection left by the highest court.
“After our partners in the State Legislature passed sensible legislation to limit the areas where a person can carry a gun, the City Council fulfilled its duty to define the area of Times Square, one of the ‘sensitive places’ where they apply strict regulations on firearms,” said the head of the legislative body. “This bill and Councilmember Abreu’s legislation to study and report on illegal firearms trafficking represent important efforts to prevent an exacerbation of the gun violence crisis.”
Councilman Shaun Abreu promoter of the new regulations, stated that if immediate steps are not taken to curb armed violence and prosecute illegal trafficking, this scourge will continue to destroy vulnerable communities.
“Each year, thousands of illegal weapons enter our city and our streets. We have worked hard to ensure that New York law limits the buying and selling of dangerous weapons in our state. However, these critical protections have not prevented dangerous weapons from other states from infiltrating our communities and ruining countless lives,” said the Latino politician. “These steps, along with a focus on youth programming, mental health support and environmental design, are the first steps in developing a citywide strategy to significantly and permanently restrict the flow of dangerous weapons. to our communities.”
The New York State prosecutor, Letitia James, also moved in the legal field after hearing the statement of the state judge who issued a temporary restraining order on sections of the law against firearms signed by the State in the summer.
“My office has filed a motion to keep the entire Concealed Carry Improvement Act in place and continue to protect communities as the appeal process proceeds. This common sense gun control legislation is critical in our State’s effort to reduce gun violence. We will continue to fight for the safety of all New Yorkers.” the prosecutor said.
Facts about the 2 new gun laws signed by Mayor Adams
- Law 518-A requires the MOCJ and the New York Police Department to conduct a study and issue an annual report to the Mayor and President of the City Council on illegal firearms trafficking into New York City.
- The report must be filed no later than December 1 of this year and annually thereafter, and must include information about each firearm seized or turned over to the NYPD, such as the date and location seized, the type of weapon, whether the firearm was related to a crime, and other information relevant to tracking illegal firearms trafficking.
- Intro 602-A defines the boundaries of Times Square’s sensitive location, where you may not carry weapons, in accordance with the State’s recently passed Concealed Carry Enhancement Act. The gun-free zone will be between 40th and 53rd streets between Sixth and Eighth avenues, as well as 40th and 48th streets between Eighth and Ninth avenues.
- This legislation also authorizes the New York Police Department to enact rules to implement the bill, including rules applicable, as applicable, to those with a concealed carry license who live or work in the area.
- The state laws against carrying weapons were approved during a special session of the Legislature in the summer that took effect on September 1 last following the Supreme Court ruling.
- State laws under appeal strengthen requirements for concealed carry permits, ban guns in sensitive locations and require permit holders to seek property owner consent to carry weapons in their spaces
- A federal judge in Syracuse said last week that parts of the state’s Concealed Carry Improvement Act are unconstitutional.