New York bill would force gun owners to reveal social media to obtain license
New York would require people applying for a handgun license to turn over a list of social media accounts so officials could verify their “character and conduct” under a bill being considered by the state legislature.
The provision was part of a proposed redesign of firearms licensing laws hammered out by lawmakers after the US supreme court struck down rules severely limiting who could get a permit to carry a handgun outside their home.
A bill advanced by Democrats would eliminate the most strict barriers to getting a permit but also impose new requirements for applicants.
Applicants would have to show they have “the essential character, temperament and judgement necessary to be entrusted with a weapon and to use it only in a manner that does not endanger oneself and others”, according to the bill.
As part of that assessment of good character, the bill says, the applicant has to turn over a list of any social media accounts they have had in the past three years “to confirm the information regarding the applicant’s character and conduct”.
Applicants would also have to provide four character references, take 16 hours of firearms safety training plus two hours of practice at a range, undergo periodic background checks and turn over the contact information of their spouse, domestic partner or any other adults living in their household.
The bill does not specify whether applicants would be required to provide licensing officers with access to private social media accounts not visible to the general public.
The idea that the state would let licensing officials review an applicant’s speech as a condition of getting a license infuriated gun rights advocates.
“This is the kind of bill that the Gestapo would be proud of. This is the kind of bill you’d see in communist China,”
said Aaron Dorr, executive director of the New York State Firearms Association. “This will never survive a court challenge. This is the kind of concept that would pass in those countries.”
The Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul, released the text of the legislation early on Friday as the legislature continued a special session.
The supreme court struck down a previous rule requiring people to demonstrate an unusual threat to their safety to get a license to carry a handgun outside their homes.
That restriction generally limited the licenses to people who had worked in law enforcement or had another special need that went beyond routine public safety concerns.
Under the new system, the state would not authorize permits for people with criminal convictions within five years for driving while intoxicated, menacing or third-degree assault. People also wouldn’t be allowed to carry firearms at a long list of “sensitive places”, including Times Square in New York City.
That list also includes schools, universities, government buildings, places where people have gathered for public protests, healthcare facilities, places of worship, libraries, public playgrounds and parks, daycare centers, summer camps, addiction and mental health centers, shelters, public transit, bars, theaters, stadiums, museums, polling places and casinos.
New York would also bar people from bringing guns into any business or workplace unless the owners put up signage saying guns were welcome. People who bring guns into places without such a sign could be prosecuted on felony charges.
In many other states businesses that want to keep guns out are required to post signs indicating weapons are not allowed.
Gun advocates said the bill infringes on rights upheld by the supreme court.
“Now we’re going to let the pizzeria owner decide whether or not I can express my constitutional right,” said Andrew Lanza, a state senator and Staten Island Republican.
“This is a disgrace. See you in the courts. You all know this is unconstitutional. You all know this is just a ruse. Another attempt to say to the people of the state of New York: ‘We don’t trust you.’”
The bill would also fix a recently passed law that barred sales of some types of bullet-resistant vests to the general public but inadvertently left out many types of body armor, including the type worn by a gunman who killed 10 Black people in a racist attack on a Buffalo supermarket.
Democrats with supermajorities in both legislative chambers expected to pass the bill later on Friday. The bill would then get sent to Hochul’s desk for her expected signature, then take effect on 1 September.