New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is calling on lawmakers to pass a bill that would negate a proposed ATF rule change that would allow for non-over-the-counter sales of firearms, forcing New Yorkers to keep purchasing firearms in person even if the NOTC sales still impose background checks on buyers.
In a press release, Hochul announced she’ll be introducing legislation requiring in-person sales, without offering any real reason for keeping the status quo in place.
The ATF rule changes would allow for online sales of firearms. At the start of the next legislative session, Governor Hochul plans on introducing legislation to amend the penal law to require in-person sale of firearms. This law change would align firearm sales with ammunition sales, which are required to be done in-person.
Since taking office, Governor Hochul has committed more than $4 billion to public safety initiatives and doubled funding to combat gun violence in New York communities. Governor Hochul also partnered with 11 other states to intercept weapons along the I-95 corridor, enhance Red Flag Laws to keep guns away from individuals that are a risk to themselves and others, and strengthened New York’s concealed carry laws in response to the Supreme Court’s reckless Bruen decision. As part of the FY 27 Enacted Budget, Governor Hochul sustained record-level investments in prevention, intervention and enforcement, including addressing emerging threats as 3-D printed guns and DIY machine guns.
New York’s in-person ammunition sales requirement is extraordinarily silly, but at least New Yorkers can bypass the idiocy by purchasing ammo in neighboring states if they want. That’s not an option with sales of handguns, however.
Why does Hochul believe this is necessary? Because her allies in the gun control lobby say so.
GIFFORDS Executive Director Emma Brown said, “The Trump administration says it’s tough on crime, but its record says otherwise. They are de-funding law enforcement, dismantling commonsense gun safety rules, and making our communities less safe. With these ATF rule changes, the administration’s actions threaten to undermine years of progress in reducing gun violence, meaning it’s more important than ever for state leaders to take bold action and fight to protect public safety. We’re grateful to Governor Hochul for her continued leadership on public safety, and her continuing the fight to keep New Yorkers safe.”
Brady: United Against Gun Violence President Kris Brown said, “The proposed changes to the ATF will categorically put communities across the country in danger. They are not technical adjustments — they are sweeping structural changes that will reshape how guns are bought and sold in America, a country where gun violence is the number one killer of kids. Rolling back common-sense gun violence prevention measures will make it easier for prohibited purchasers to obtain guns, harder for law enforcement to solve and prosecute gun crimes, and increase the likelihood for ‘mass casualty events.’ We cannot stand idly by and let this happen. We thank Governor Hochul for taking action with us to prevent fallout from these proposed changes and to keep New York communities safe.”
Senior Firearms Industry Advisor at Everytown for Gun Safety and Former Associate Assistant Director of Field Operations at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives Marianna Mitchem said, “These changes proposed by the ATF prioritize gun industry profits over human lives. They will exacerbate our national gun violence epidemic and undermine public safety in communities across New York State. I want to thank Governor Hochul for the steps New York is taking to protect its communities from gun trafficking and I want to encourage all local and state leaders to step up and follow her example. It is deeply disappointing that the agency I dedicated my career to has decided to cater to the gun industry rather than properly regulate it. But I am hopeful that with actions like those announced today, our communities will not be the ultimate victims of this Administration’s dangerous decisions.”
Did you notice that none of these activists could explain how the ATF’s proposed rule will “make it easier for prohibited purchasers to obtain guns,” “undermine public safety,” and “undermine years of progress in reducing gun violence”?
That’s because they can’t. Under the ATF’s proposal, a purchaser who would like to take advantage of a non-over-the-counter sale would still have to prove their identity beforehand, and would still undergo a background check just like those who choose to go to their local gun store and make the purchase in person.
Hochul is simply trying to block New Yorkers from participating in a reform that is a long time coming because of her hostility towards gun owners and our Second Amendment rights. That’s hardly a surprise given her previous actions and policy choices, but her announcement still needs to be called out for what it is: anti-Second Amendment bigotry.
Editor’s Note: The radical Left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.
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