STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1273 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE January 9, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. GIANARIS, CLEARE, GONZALEZ, GOUNARDES, HOYLMAN-SI- GAL, JACKSON, STAVISKY -- 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 openly carrying a rifle or shotgun The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivisions 9, 9, and 10 of section 265.01 of the penal 2 law, subdivision 9 as added by chapter 519 of the laws of 2021, subdivi- 3 sion 9 as amended by chapter 149 of the laws of 2022, and subdivision 10 4 as amended by chapter 94 of the laws of 2022, are amended and a new 5 subdivision 12 is added to read as follows: 6 (9) Such person possesses a major component of a firearm, rifle, or 7 shotgun and such person is prohibited from possessing a firearm, shotgun 8 or rifle pursuant to: 9 (i) this article; 10 (ii) subsection (g) of section 922 of title 18 of the United States 11 Code; or 12 (iii) a temporary or final extreme risk protection order issued under 13 article sixty-three-A of the civil practice law and rules; or 14 [(9)] (10) Such person is not licensed as a gunsmith or a dealer in 15 firearms pursuant to section 400.00 of this chapter and, knowing it is a 16 ghost gun, such person possesses a ghost gun, provided that a person 17 shall not be guilty under this subdivision when [he or she] such person 18 (a) voluntarily surrenders such ghost gun to any law enforcement offi- 19 cial designated pursuant to subparagraph (f) of paragraph one of subdi- 20 vision [(a)] a of section 265.20 of this article; or (b) for a period of 21 six months after the effective date of this section possesses a ghost 22 gun prior to serialization and registration of such ghost gun pursuant 23 to section 265.07 of this article[.]; or EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00731-01-5
S. 1273 2 1 [(10)] (11) Such person is not licensed as a gunsmith or dealer in 2 firearms pursuant to section 400.00 of this chapter and, knowing it is 3 an unserialized frame or receiver or unfinished frame or receiver, such 4 person possesses an unserialized frame or receiver or unfinished frame 5 or receiver, provided that for a period of six months after the effec- 6 tive date of this subdivision, a person shall not be guilty under this 7 subdivision when such person: (a) voluntarily surrenders such unserial- 8 ized frame or receiver or unfinished frame or receiver to any law 9 enforcement official designated pursuant to subparagraph (f) of para- 10 graph one of subdivision [(a)] a of section 265.20 of this article; or 11 (b) possesses such unserialized frame or receiver or unfinished frame or 12 receiver prior to serialization of such unserialized frame or receiver 13 or unfinished frame or receiver in accordance with the requirements 14 imposed on licensed importers and licensed manufacturers pursuant to 15 subsection (i) of Section 923 of Title 18 of the United States Code and 16 regulations issued pursuant thereto, except for antique firearms as 17 defined in subdivision fourteen of section 265.00 of this article, as 18 added by chapter nine hundred eighty-six of the laws of nineteen hundred 19 seventy-four, or any firearm, rifle or shotgun manufactured prior to 20 nineteen hundred sixty-eight[.]; or 21 (12) Such person openly carries a rifle or shotgun on or about such 22 person. For the purposes of this subdivision, "openly carries" means to 23 carry a rifle or shotgun in a manner that renders such rifle or shotgun, 24 or any portion thereof, visible to others. 25 § 2. Section 265.20 of the penal law is amended by adding a new subdi- 26 vision f to read as follows: 27 f. Subdivision twelve of section 265.01 of this article shall not 28 apply to: 29 1. Persons in the military service of the state of New York when duly 30 authorized by regulations issued by the adjutant general to possess the 31 same; 32 2. Police officers as defined in subdivision thirty-four of section 33 1.20 of the criminal procedure law; 34 3. Peace officers as defined by section 2.10 of the criminal procedure 35 law; 36 4. Persons in the military or other service of the United States, in 37 pursuit of official duty or when duly authorized by federal law, regu- 38 lation or order to possess the same; 39 5. Persons employed in fulfilling defense contracts with the govern- 40 ment of the United States or agencies thereof when possession of the 41 same is necessary for manufacture, transport, installation and testing 42 under the requirements of such contract; 43 6. Persons licensed under paragraph (c), (d) or (e) of subdivision two 44 of section 400.00 of this chapter while in the course of their official 45 duties; 46 7. A government employee under the express written consent of such 47 employee's supervising government entity for the purposes of natural 48 resource protection and management; 49 8. Persons while lawfully engaged in taking of wildlife or attempts to 50 take wildlife pursuant to a hunting permit or license issued by the 51 department of environmental conservation, or as otherwise authorized 52 pursuant to the environmental conservation law, including while transit- 53 ing to and from a location where such taking or attempted taking is 54 authorized, and persons while lawfully engaged in hunter education 55 training, marksmanship practice, marksmanship competition or training,
S. 1273 3 1 or training in the safe handling and use of firearms, in accordance with 2 all applicable local, state, and federal laws, rules, and regulations; 3 9. Persons, while acting in the scope of their official duties, who 4 are employed in the revenue control and security departments of the 5 metropolitan transportation authority, or the New York city transit 6 authority or an affiliate or subsidiary thereof, who are authorized to 7 carry a firearm as part of their employment; 8 10. Persons while lawfully engaged in historical reenactments, educa- 9 tional programming involving historical weapons of warfare, or motion 10 picture or theatrical productions, in accordance with all applicable 11 local, state, and federal laws, rules and regulations; 12 11. Persons, while acting within the scope of their official duties, 13 who are responsible for the storage or display of antique firearms, 14 rifles or shotguns at museums and historic sites; 15 12. Persons while participating in military ceremonies, funerals, and 16 honor guards; 17 13. Persons while lawfully engaged in learning, practicing, training 18 for, or competing in the sport of biathlon, in accordance with all 19 applicable local, state, and federal laws, rules, and regulations; 20 14. Persons while in their homes, places of business, or private prop- 21 erty under such person's control; and 22 15. Persons on the private property of another, provided that the 23 owner or lessee of such property has given the person permission to 24 openly carry a rifle or shotgun by clear and conspicuous signage indi- 25 cating that the open carry of rifles and shotguns on their property is 26 permitted or by otherwise giving express consent. 27 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.