STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1407 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 11, 2023 ___________ Introduced by Sen. ORTT -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to allowing rifles, shotguns, and firearms on college and university campuses The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 265.01-a of the penal law, as separately amended by 2 chapters 138 and 354 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows: 3 § 265.01-a Criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds. 4 A person is guilty of criminal possession of a weapon on school 5 grounds when he or she knowingly has in his or her possession a rifle, 6 shotgun, or firearm in or upon a building or grounds, used for educa- 7 tional purposes, of any school[, college, or university, except the 8 forestry lands, wherever located, owned, maintained or held in trust for 9 the benefit of the New York State College of Forestry at Syracuse 10 University, now known as the State University of New York college of 11 environmental science and forestry,] or upon a school bus as defined in 12 section one hundred forty-two of the vehicle and traffic law, without 13 the written authorization of such educational institution; provided, 14 however no school, as defined in subdivision ten of section eleven 15 hundred twenty-five of the education law, shall issue such written 16 authorization to any teacher, school administrator, or other person 17 employed at the school who is not primarily employed as a school 18 resource officer, police officer, peace officer, or security guard who 19 has been issued a special armed guard registration card as defined in 20 section eighty-nine-f of the general business law, regardless of whether 21 the person is employed directly by such school or by a third party. 22 This section shall not apply to college or university buildings or 23 grounds. 24 Criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds is a class E felony. 25 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed- 26 ing the date on which it shall have become a law. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD05104-01-3