The Supreme Court's decision to strike down a concealed-carry provision in the state would put citizens at greater risk of gun violence, according to elected officials, prosecutors and police officers in New York.
In a landmark decision on a Second Amendment case, the high court on Thursday struck down a provision that requires owners to carry a handgun outside their home to prove that they have a unique need for self-protection. In a 6 -- 3 decision, the justices ruled that the restriction was unconstitutional, making it easier for gun owners to carry such weapons in public.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, denounced the decision as not rooted in reality and vowed to work with law enforcement partners to figure out ways to soften the blow.
Adams, a former New York Police Department captain, said that they will work together to mitigate the risks this decision will create once it is implemented.
He said that his office will conduct a review of the state's approach to defining sensitive locations, where carrying a gun could be banned, as well as its application process to ensure that only those who are fully qualified can obtain a carry license. New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell cautioned New Yorkers that nothing has changed yet, noting that the decision has been remanded to the lower court.
She said if you carry a gun illegally in New York City, you will be arrested. If we open the universe of carry permits, it could bring more guns to the city of New York and the streets of New York City, and that should concern us all. Gov. was speaking at a separate news conference. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, called the decision shocking and said she is preparing legislation in response.
It is outrageous that the Supreme Court of New York State law that limits those who can carry concealed weapons has been struck down at a moment of national reckoning on gun violence.
According to Paul DiGiacomo, head of the Detectives' Endowment Association, a police union in New York City, said the decision would remove certain criteria that are needed in New York to obtain a carry permit, which could further endanger NYPD detectives and fellow officers, even when they are interacting with those carrying a gun legally. Issuing a carry permit does not ensure that the person with the permit is properly trained to use a firearm in close quarters where ricochets could kill or injure innocent people, DiGiacomo said.
He said more guns don't make people safer in crowded cities. Think of a subway car filled with people carrying a gun. When a police officer responds to an incident, it adds to the anxiety if everyone around you has a gun, said DiGiacomo, who was talking to NBC News in a phone interview Thursday.
In a statement by Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, he called the decision a nightmare for public safety and said there were overwhelming evidence that states with permissive gun laws see higher rates of gun deaths - from accidents to suicide, domestic incidents to street crime. The decision severely undermines the public safety, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Bragg said that the Supreme Court may have made our work harder, but we will only redouble our efforts to develop new solutions to end the epidemic of gun violence and ensure lasting public safety.