After Court Ruling, State Puts Limits on Concealed Guns

New York has answered the US Supreme Court's ruling last week that overturned state restrictions on carrying concealed weapons—a law that had been in place for more than a century. "I just signed a new law to keep New Yorkers safe," Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted after signing the measure Friday night, "even in the face of a monumental setback from the Supreme Court." The Democrat had summoned lawmakers to a special session on Thursday who quickly agreed on the wording and won approval of the measure in both houses on Friday, CNN reports. Republicans were critical of the fast passage.

The newly approved law forbids people to carry firearms in schools, parks, libraries, government buildings, mass transit, and other sites considered "sensitive places," per WHAM. Health care facilities and places of worship also are included. In addition, New Yorkers are prohibited from carrying firearms into a business unless it displays a sign saying guns are welcome inside. In a news conference earlier Friday, Hochul said laws like the one the Supreme Court threw out made the state safer. The court, she said, "removed longstanding limitations that we were able to use in the state of New York to make smart decisions on who should have the right to carry a weapon." (More gun control stories.)