Federal Appeals Court Upholds New York's Gun Law

The court affirms the state's right to ban firearms in sensitive locations and to deny firearms to individuals deemed dangerous by local officials.

A federal appeals court upheld significant portions of New York’s expansive gun law, ruling that the state can ban the carrying of guns in schools, parks and other places and deny firearms to people whom local officials deem dangerous.
The new law bans the carrying of guns in so-called sensitive locations, a category that includes schools, government buildings, places of worship and Times Square.
The appeals court rejected some parts of the law, barring the state from declaring that guns are presumed to be off limits at places of worship as well as privately owned properties that are typically open to the public like gas stations and grocery stores.
The new law had also required applicants for gun licenses to submit a list of their social media accounts to help officials assess their character and conduct. The appeals court rejected that requirement, finding that it was most likely unconstitutional to interfere with the aliases people use when expressing their views online.
Legal experts said, the appeals court’s ruling was among the most significant on gun regulation since the Supreme Court struck down New York’s previous law last year.