New York Governor Kathy Hochul Further Expands Red Flag Law

On Monday, October 24, Governor Hochul and New York Attorney General Letitia James announced an expansion of New York’s red flag law.

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The expansion of the law is aimed at putting even more safeguards in place to remove firearms from individuals who may be dangerous. To help make this happen, Hochul and James announced that an increase of $4.6 million dollars would be added to the attorney general’s 2023 budget. The funds will further support the efforts of New York State Police to obtain extreme risk protection orders when an individual has been deemed a danger to themselves or others. What this means is that if a person is flagged as being a potential risk, they will be banned from buying or owning a firearm."

In 2022, New York issued more than 1,900 extreme risk protection orders, double the number issued in 2019 when the red flag law went into effect.

New York’s new gun laws have caused quite a bit of confusion among gun owners who have asked for clarification on what exactly “sensitive locations” are which is where they are not allowed to be in possession of a firearm. Some sensitive locations include government buildings, places that serve alcohol, schools, hospitals, and parks.

In addition to gun owners expressing confusion over what they say are vague definitions of “sensitive locations,” many historic reenactment groups have expressed confusion over whether or not the location of their planned reenactment fell into a “sensitive location” and in turn, have been canceling their events.

Lawmakers tell gun owners that there should be no confusion over what constitutes a “sensitive location” and that should they be found in violation, punishment will be swift.

On the other hand, the governor’s office replied to historical reenactors saying, “These laws allow historical re-enactments to occur, and there should be no concern otherwise." Still, the public remains uncertain."