NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- City Department of Transportation trucks were driving around Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday with flashing electronic signs reminding people that Times Square is a “gun free zone” and that violators can be charged with a felony.
The trucks were getting the message out just days before a new state law takes effect that will ban concealed firearms in so-called “sensitive locations.”
“TIMES SQUARE: GUN FREE ZONE,” the signs read. “Licensed gun carriers and others may not enter with a gun unless otherwise specially authorized by law. Violation of this prohibition is a felony.”
The flashy messaging was on display as the issue of concealed guns in Times Square came before the City Council on Tuesday. The council’s Public Safety Committee met to determine the areas of Times Square where guns should be limited and how the NYPD will enforce the restrictions.
During Tuesday’s hearing, officials said there would be no NYPD checkpoints, gun-detection technology or increased patrols in the Times Square area. Instead there will be “gun free zone” signs posted at entry point to the zone. Police will continue to enforce the laws on the books as they've always done, officials said.
According to a document obtained by 1010 WINS, the City Council is expected to define Times Square in two tracts. One tract will be “bounded on the west by the west side of Eighth Avenue, on the south by the south side of W. 40th Street, on the east by the east side of Sixth Avenue, and on the north by the north side of W. 53rd Street.” The other tract will be “bounded on the west by the west side of Ninth Avenue, on the south by the south side of W. 40th Street, on the east by the east side of Eighth Avenue, and on the north by the north side of W. 48th Street.”
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who sponsored the bill to define what constitutes Times Square so the signage can be put up, said she hopes the legislation will “help to stem any increased gun violence in our city.”
Robert Barrows, the NYPD's director of legal operations, held up an example of a sign during the committee’s hearing.
Councilmembers Joann Ariola and Darlene Mealy were concerned about educating the public and the possibility that legal gun owners could be charged if they’re not aware of the law.
“The fact that there isn’t a grace period, I think that really puts the licensed gun owner at a disadvantage,” Ariola said.
Mealy asked, “Where’s the advertisement, the information campaign? Where is that?”
When Ariola noted that the signs would be hard to see amid all the other signs and ads in the area, Barrows said the current signage is temporary and that there will be larger notifications, including video messaging.
Tourist-packed Times Square—which sees nearly 400,000 pedestrians every day—is among the long list of places where people won’t be allowed to carry firearms when the new law passed by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul takes effect on Thursday. The law applies to permit-holders too and is punishable as a felony.
Also on the state list of sensitive places are schools, universities, government buildings, places where people have gathered for public protests, health care facilities, places of worship, libraries, public playgrounds and parks, day care centers, summer camps, addiction and mental health centers, shelters, public transit, bars, theaters, stadiums, museums, polling places and casinos.
Hochul signed the new law two months ago after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 6-3 ruling in June struck down a New York state law and loosened the right to carry a concealed firearm in public for self-defense. Specifically, the court threw out a “proper cause” requirement that forced applicants to prove they had a need for self-defense.
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In the ruling, the court said guns could be restricted in sensitive locations, giving states like New York that had strict concealed carry laws an opening to continue some restrictions.
The law has prompted several legal challenges from Second Amendment advocacy groups.
Last week, Gun Owners of America asked a federal judge to block the state’s law before it takes effect on Sept. 1. The gun rights groups argue that the Supreme Court meant sensitive locations to be a “narrow group of places,” not the long list laid out by the state.
“You know, government building, schools. But it’s not all of these places. Like, Times Square—it can’t be a sensitive place,” Second Amendment attorney Stephen Stamboulieh said. “It could be that Times Square is sensitive at certain times, but not all the time.”
“They seem to be designed less towards addressing gun violence and more towards simply preventing people from getting guns — even if those people are law-abiding, upstanding citizens, who according to the Supreme Court have the rights to have them,” said Jonathan Corbett, a Brooklyn attorney and permit applicant who is challenging the law in court.
Applications for new gun permits have spiked across the state since the Supreme Court ruling. There were nearly 10,000 applications statewide this month, compared to 3,000 in August 2021.
New York’s law requires concealed firearm applicants to provide local officials with a list of current and former social media accounts from the previous three years. It also requires applicants to undergo hours of safety training, prove they’re proficient at shooting, provide four character references and sit for in-person interviews.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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