Times Square signs to proclaim 'gun-free' zones, as city complies with court ruling

“GUN FREE ZONE” signs are being posted at every entry point to Times Square, an NYPD lawyer told the City Council Tuesday, as New York complies with a U.S. Supreme Court decision voiding the state’s century-old law restricting who can carry a concealed gun and where.

By Sept. 1, the signs will be visible on each side of the streets along Times Square, one of the so-called “sensitive” zones. These include subways, colleges, hospitals, public parks and stadiums, where guns are banned pursuant to a state law passed in the aftermath of the court's ruling. That ruling allows jurisdictions to carve out special zones where guns can be restricted.

“Times Square is a dense, complex, and highly trafficked area. And the state and the city are right to act to protect this iconic piece of New York City, while at the same time recognizing the particular interest of firearm licensees who live or work in the area,” NYPD lawyer Robert Barrows told the council, which is considering how to formally set the geographical boundaries of Times Square.

Bringing a gun into a “sensitive” zone is a felony, under the new state law defining such zones throughout New York. The restriction doesn’t apply to current or retired law enforcement, or to current military personnel, and there will be exceptions for those who live or work in the area.

In June, on Second Amendment grounds, the court overturned the state's century-old law restricting concealed handguns outside the home. Under the ruling, no longer does a local government have the power to decide whether an applicant for a concealed carry permit truly needs one — curbing certain discretion the authorities had in issuing the permits.

The Times Square restrictions apply in two zones, according to boundaries in the law, Introduction 602 of 2022 — the area bounded by the west side of 8th Avenue, the south side of West 40th Street, the east side of 6th Avenue, the north side of West 53rd Street; and the area bounded by the west side of 9th Avenue, the south side of West 40th Street, the east side of 8th Avenue and the north side of West 48th Street.

The restrictions don’t necessarily apply to the interior of buildings in the zones, although a particular building could be otherwise explicitly restricted by law.

Barrows said that local precinct personnel and those from Manhattan South would be installing the signs.

Barrows said that 50 million tourists visit Times Square annually — 360,000 people each day on a typical day.

“If we receive reports of violations of law, if there’s a suspected violation of the law, our officers will do what essentially they do in every circumstance,” said Barrows, who showed council members a sample of the sign. “They will investigate the incident and address the condition.”

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.