DAs rip fed bid to let out-of-staters carry guns in city
NEW YORK’S FIVE district attorneys joined forces Tuesday with NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill to open fire on a federal plan that would allow tourists to pack heat in the city.
The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act will let out-of-towners coming from states where carrying concealed guns is legal to bring their firearms even to popular sites like the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center or Central Park.
“Someone from Vermont, where there are no permit requirements, could come into New York City with a loaded gun, come to Times Square, go to the subways,” said Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr.
“It is absurd,” he continued. “It is the lowest common denominator approach to legislating around gun safety.”
O’Neill cited the latest crime stats on shootings as proof that New York’s laws are working.
The NYPD reported 152 shootings so far in 2017, down 42 compared with the same time period last year.
“This legislation will make New York City less safe and our job as law enforcement significantly harder,” O’Neill said. “We do not want our highly effective gun laws superseded, overturned or interfered with.
“We will fight any federal action that brings more guns into the streets of New York.”
All five of the city’s DA’s came out against the federal proposal — as did top prosecutors from Boston, Chicago and Memphis, Tenn.
“Forcing jurisdictions to accept the concealed carry rules of other jurisdictions . . . from states whose rules may be much more lax and susceptible to fraud and abuse undermines the ability of each community to decide for itself,” said Illinois State Attorney Kimberly Foxx.
Vance said he expects the measure to pass the House, with a showdown in the Senate.
President Trump, a native New Yorker, has said he would sign off on the legislation if it reaches his desk.
Vance also mentioned slain NYPD Detective Randolph Holder, who was killed in 2015 with a handgun brought to the city from the South.
“It’s these officers who are, in the middle of the night, going to be dealing with folks who are out in the city with loaded guns,” said Vance. “And it’s going to be a disaster.”