New York state has passed a law that bans guns from public places including Times Square, a week after the Supreme Court made it easier for people to carry handguns in public. This ruling struck down the state's prior restrictions.
Per Reuters, New York's Democratic leaders have criticized the Supreme Court ruling and the court said there will be more gun violence if more people carry guns in public.
They said that they must lower the state's permit scheme to concede to the ruling, but sought to keep as many regulations as for public safety.
The court also ruled that New York's former license regime, which dates from 1911, gave too much control to officials to deny a permit.
The bill was sent to New York's Governor Kathy Hochul, who signed it into law Friday evening. It will go into effect on September 1.
Watch New York Gov. Kathy Hochul sign the gun bill below:The bill means from fall, guns will be banned from public transport, schools, shelters, government buildings, poll sites, places of worship, health facilities, establishments that serve alcohol, libraries, daycares, zoos, museums, theaters, stadiums, public playgrounds, and parks.
According to NBC News, at a news conference, the governor said the new gun legislation would help prevent situations in which conflicts in crowded places would escalate with firearms.
"Just imagine you’re on a crowded subway and you bang into somebody inadvertently. Tempers flare and the person that you bumped into happens to be carrying a concealed weapon," she said.
"Imagine you’re in Times Square. You’re on the way to a show with your family, and you’re surrounded by people with concealed weapons," Hochul said. "Does that make you feel more or less safe? I think we all know the answer to those questions."
Republican lawmakers voted against the bill and argued that it makes the right to carry weapons less than other constitutional rights, such as freedom of speech and religion.
"Now, it's going to be easier to get a concealed-carry" license, said Mike Lawler, a Republican member of the Assembly. "But you're not going to be able to carry it anywhere."
State Senator Pamela Helming said the law will penalize law-abiding citizens and have little effect on people who carry guns illegally.
"Criminals are not going to follow the requirements outlined in this bill," Helming said, adding that they may instead "target and terrorize" places where firearms are banned.
"The only people who will be impacted by the bill before us are people who follow rules," Helming said.
Beyond New York, the Supreme Court's decision throws into question the validity of similar concealed-carry limitations in a handful of other states in the United States.