New York can continue to enforce state gun control law, appeals court rules

New York can continue to enforce a state law that bans guns from “sensitive” places pending its appeal of a ruling that struck down aspects of the measure, a federal appeals court panel said Wednesday.

The three-judge panel from the New York City-based Second Circuit Court of Appeals granted a stay against the ruling by Syracuse federal judge Glenn T. Suddaby that barred state officials from implementing large swaths of the Concealed Carry Improvement Act. 

The panel’s decision makes an exception for “persons who have been tasked with the duty to keep the peace at places of worship, airports, and private buses,” according to the order. 

A single judge from the Second Circuit Court had previously granted a stay regarding Suddaby’s ruling, but referred the matter to the panel.

The measure, which took effect in September, replaced a century-old law that the US Supreme Court struck down in June.

It requires would-be gun owners in the Empire State to prove they’re in “good moral character” to apply for a concealed carry license. 

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Robert Miller for NY Post

The law also bans carrying firearms in areas including “public transportation,” “educational institutions,” “public parks,” “any place of worship,” bars, “any gathering of individuals to collectively express their constitutional rights to protest or assemble” — and “the area commonly known as Times Square.”

The stay will remain in effect until at least Jan. 9, when the state’s appeal is due, according to court documents.