Hochul wants to allow armed security guards at places of worship
NYPD public affairs officers set up signs reading "Gun Free Zone" around Times Square last year. Gov. Kathy Hochul is proposing some changes to the state law that created those zones. Credit: AP/Yuki Iwamura
ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul is proposing to make slight changes in New York state’s concealed weapons law, including one to allow armed security guards at places of worship.
Hochul, a Democrat, tucked the idea inside her $227 billion state budget proposal unveiled Wednesday. Along with spending plans, the governor called for a number of policy initiatives.
Among them, Hochul said she wants to make “technical” and clarification changes to New York’s concealed weapons law, enacted last summer.
One involves houses of worship. Places of worship are one of dozens of “sensitive places,” including government buildings, where concealed weapons currently are banned.
But armed security guards would be allowed if the State Legislature approves the governor’s amendment. The law currently allows security guards to be armed but doesn’t specifically permit them in houses of worship.
Hochul also backed amendments to clarify that firearms are allowed at historical re-enactments, movie and theater sets, ceremonies with honor guards and biathlon competitions.
She also wants to clarify that a ban on concealed weapons in public parks doesn’t apply to the Adirondack and Catskill parks.
In a memo supporting the changes, the Hochul administration said the proposed “technical amendments” would “ensure that the State’s firearm regulations are implemented effectively and keep New Yorkers safe.” The State Legislature would have to approve the changes.
Jason McGuire, executive director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, a lobby for a group of evangelical churches, called the church proposal a “step in the right direction” although he favors a full rollback of the law, as do many gun groups.
The amendments respond to some of the criticism of the gun law signed by Hochul in July, just days after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down New York’s century-old law governing the carrying of concealed weapons outside the home, saying it violated gun rights in the Second Amendment.
The court said the old state law was too restrictive because it required applicants for a concealed-carry gun permit to show “proper cause” and “good moral character,” which were too vague and subjective.
But it also said New York could pass a law requiring more objective licensing standards.
Hochul and the Democratic-led State Senate and Assembly enacted a law putting in a range of standards for obtaining a license and declaring a wide range of public places off-limits for guns.
The standards included completing 18 hours of training, with two being live-fire on a gun range, and completing an in-person interview.
The prohibited-places list includes dozens of so-called sensitive areas, including government buildings and churches; airports, train stations and bus terminals; entertainment, sports and gaming venues; places where alcohol is consumed; and Times Square in Manhattan.
Soon after, more than 10 lawsuits were filed seeking to strike down the new statute.
Some are broad, asserting violations of the 1st (free speech), 2nd (right to bear arms) and 14th (equal protection) amendments to the U.S. Constitution, as well as challenging provisions regarding training. Some say the provisions are onerous because they effectively negate the Second Amendment.
The cases are in various stages around the state. But federal courts have issued “stays” that keep the concealed-weapons law in place while the lawsuits continue.
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