Federal Court Keeps New NY Gun Laws in Effect

A federal court has allowed New York City’s new gun laws to remain in effect. The new gun laws were implemented as a measure to combat gun violence by creating sensitive locations in which concealed firearms may not be carried. These areas include Time Square, the subway, and buses.

The new gun laws had been argued as being in violation of the Second Amendment of the Constitution by a judge, however, Attorney General Letitia James had filed a motion for the laws to stand temporarily.

A panel of three judges will make a decision on whether the laws are applicable. Attorney General James said she was pleased that the relevant act, Concealed Carry Improvement Act, will remain in effect until a final decision is made.

The act was passed in a bid to stop gun violence. This is after witnessing the continued use of guns to carry out heinous acts of violence such as the massacre that took place in a supermarket in Buffalo in May this year. The massacre caused outrage and fear, with calls for more action to be done to prevent more mass shootings from taking place in the future.

Governor Kathy Hochul, a native of Buffalo, vowed to defend the law. “We’re prepared to do everything we can to keep guns off the streets, number one, and also make sure we don’t evolve into the Wild East. The Wild West is not the experience you want to have when you’re walking through Times Square,” Hochul said.

The issue regarding gun violence and the possession of guns is a divisive one with elections coming up. The majority of citizens are anti-crime and against gun violence while at the same time they are pro-guns, citing the Second Amendment, which protects the right to bear arms.