New York is tightening up on concealed carrying of firearms. Applicants will be required to submit their social media accounts for analysis.
Beginning September 1, New Yorkers who wish to carry concealed firearms will be required to submit their social media accounts for analysis. They will need to provide information about their active and inactive accounts for the last three years, with at least four links.
New York tightens procedures for concealed carry of firearms
These accounts will be used to analyze the “character and behavior”of the applicant, according to the Associated Press. Those seeking a license will need to show that they have “the character, temperament and judgment necessary to be able to carry and use weapons without endangering themselves or others.”Local authorities, judges and county clerks will be responsible for looking for any warning signs in these bills.
The measure was included in a bill that Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law last week. The goal was to introduce new restrictions on the carrying of guns after the Supreme Court ruled that most people have the right to carry a gun for their own protection.
Applicants will be required to submit their social media accounts for analysis.
Kathy Hochul acknowledged that shooters often share details or hints about their plan online. A man accused of killing 19 children and 2 teachers in Uvalde, Texas last May harassed and threatened to harm girls and young women on social media. Suspects of other mass shootings posted manifestos online before the attack.
Opponents do not approve of such provision of social media accounts. It is not clear, for example, how the state will deal with privacy and free speech issues, or how it will respond to the intentions of permit seekers in social media posts.
Peter Kehoe, executive director of the New York Sheriffs Association, said the law violates the Second Amendment and suggested that local authorities not check applicants’ accounts: “I don’t think we should be doing that,”he told the AP. “I think that would be a constitutional invasion of privacy.”Others have expressed concern about this law regarding the surveillance of people of color.