New York defeated an attempt by gun-rights proponents to stop it from enforcing new restrictions on who and where people can carry concealed weapons.
(Bloomberg) — New York defeated an attempt by gun-rights proponents to stop it from enforcing new restrictions on who and where people can carry concealed weapons.
US District Judge Glenn Suddaby in Syracuse rejected the request by Gun Owners of America Inc. and others for an order to halt the roll-out of the state’s Concealed Carry Improvement Act.
But the judge invited the gun-rights supporters to amend and refile their request for a preliminary injunction, noting that he himself had “a strong sense of the safety that a licensed concealed handgun regularly provides” to those “too powerless to physically defend themselves in public without a handgun.”
New York lawmakers passed the new law this summer after the US Supreme Court invalidated the state’s previous restrictions on concealed weapons permits.
Read More: Democrat-Led States Seek Ways to Blunt Court’s Gun Ruling
The new measure bans guns in “sensitive places,” including subways, schools, health facility and polling places. It also mandates 15 hours of in-person training to anyone applying for a concealed-carry permit and requires checks of social media accounts ahead of certain gun purchases and background checks before buying ammunition.
Among the advocacy groups defending the law in court was Everytown for Gun Safety, which is backed by Michael Bloomberg, founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent company Bloomberg LP.
New York Attorney General Letitia James hailed the judge’s ruling.
“Responsible gun control measures save lives and any attempts by the gun lobby to tear down New York’s sensible gun control laws will be met with fierce defense of the law,” she said in a prepared statement.
Gun Owners of America didn’t immediately respond after regular business hours to a phone message seeking comment.
The case is Antonyuk v. Bruen, 22-cv-00734, U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York (Syracuse).
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