U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- There is a bill in the New York Assembly that makes most destinations into “gun-free” zones. I call it the “Prohibited Places” bill and you need to know the back story for this to make any sense at all.. even to the politicians.
It never made sense for honest citizens.
First, there is an important case before the US Supreme Court called NYSRPA v Bruen. That case asserts that New York State required ordinary people to get a permit to carry a firearm in public, and then denied those permits to ordinary citizens. It sounds like New York Democrats are conceding that they infringed on the right of self-defense and will lose the Bruen case. Maybe a liberal justice on the Supreme Court already gave them the text of that decision.
That brings us to Bill A8684 before the New York Assembly which “Prohibits firearms in certain locations, including but not limited to all forms of public transportation, large gatherings, and food and drink establishments.”
Since New York Democrats will soon have to issue carry permits, they want to make everywhere a gun-free zone for everyone.
Bill A8684:
“A person commits a Class E felony if they-
“knowingly has in his or her possession a rifle, shotgun, or firearm in or upon the following locations:
“Any form of public transportation, including but not limited to railroads, ride-sharing services, paratransit services, subways, buses, air travel, taxis or any other public transportation service;
“Food and drink establishments; or
“Large gatherings, which for the purposes of this section shall mean a gathering together of fifteen or more persons for amusement, athletic, civic, dining, educational, entertainment, patriotic, political, recreational, religious, social, or similar purposes.“
I couldn’t tell if the usual suspects are above the law. Does this law apply to off-duty law enforcement officers, judges, security guards, and politicians? Does it apply to retired cops, retired judges and retired politicians? If the law makes us safer, then it should certainly make them safer too. I can’t think of a single reason why they should be exempt.
Bad things happen when uninformed lawmakers make rules for other people. According to this bill, mere possession of the gun is a crime. That means you can’t have a shotgun or rifle competition with more than 15 people on the premises. Most shooting ranges/gun stores became illegal if they let more than a handful of customers in the door at one time. This bill also outlaws most concealed carry classes. There went your 4H firearms safety class and your school’s rifle team.
We are all at risk when politicians make laws they don’t understand.
It used to be legal to bring a firearm to the airport and declare that firearm with your checked luggage. Now, possession of that luggage is a crime as you walk into the airport.
Your church security team was just disarmed, and restaurant and bar owners were just disarmed at work. That is really bad since those businesses are already a frequent target for robbery. Was this law written to make robbery easier for the criminals?
It sounds like my Christmas party, my 4th of July celebration, and my birthday party would also be illegal. Fortunately, that is easy to fix because I can celebrate those out of state. Not everyone is so lucky.
It would become a felony for us to use private ride-sharing services while we transport our firearms. That means more of us will drive our own car or have to rent a car.
Firearm possession is against the law, not carrying concealed.
I couldn’t help but notice that this law is an absolute gift to the thieves who are robbing taxi drivers, Uber drivers, and Lyft drivers every day. New York Democrats would be shocked, but some of those drivers would rather survive than be carjacked. The rideshare drivers would like to retain their means of livelihood since they own the car rather than the car belonging to the rideshare services. Now the driver commits a felony if he has his firearm in his own car as he works.
I wonder if the bill is written that way on accident or if those are the intended feature of the bill. Maybe the bill is simply a way to eliminate rideshare services and force us back to unionized and regulated taxicabs.
Maybe this bill was written for the restaurants that catered to New York politicians. Sure, they wanted to put up “no-guns-allowed” signs, but then gun owners would go to restaurants where armed patrons were welcome. This bill is a way to get rid of that competition since all restaurants become “gun-free” zones. That is less far-fetched than it sounds since money talks in New York politics.
Sheriffs in up-state New York will hate it. Hunters could no longer take their cased firearms into a restaurant when they stop to eat. This will become the “steal my hunting gun” bill. Do New York Democrats think it a problem when criminals have more guns, or is that part of their plan?
The solution is straightforward. We have to hold the state liable for the damages it causes. The state must be forced to assume absolute liability for any and all injuries and damages we sustain because we were disarmed. New York Democrats say this law will save many lives so they should be eager to pay up.
About Rob Morse
The original article, with sources, is posted here. Rob Morse writes about gun rights at Ammoland, at Clash Daily, at Second Call Defense, and on his SlowFacts blog. He hosts the Self Defense Gun Stories Podcast and co-hosts the Polite Society Podcast. Rob was an NRA pistol instructor and combat handgun competitor.