Governor Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell revealed new state laws Wednesday as concealed carry is set to go into effect.
As speakers gave a rundown of new safety procedures as concealed carry permits are set to become law on Sept. 1, the mayor stopped mid speech as he addressed a legion of media cameras inside the governor’s Midtown office on Aug. 31. While underscoring that Times Square will be off limits to firearm holders, hizzoner grew silent for a few moments.
“Times Square is a gun-free zone… we have to actually say that. In our city we have to actually say gun-free zone,” Adams sighed.
The new rules are the city and state’s response to a Supreme Court ruling in June that overturned New York state’s 109-year-old law against concealed carry, with the conservative majority declaring the law a violation of Second Amendment rights to self-defense.