"State officials required concealed carry applicants to provide a list of their social media accounts as part of a sweeping gun safety law in 2022. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Concealed Carry Improvement Act days after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down New York's prior gun licensing regulations, finding it gave law enforcement too much power to subjectively decide who should get permits to carry guns."
"Luis Valdes, a spokesperson for Gun Owners of America, said checking applicants' social media violated their rights. 'The fact that the state of New York was demanding social media information from a gun owner is very despotic,' he said."
"Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement that the settlement 'protects New York's nation-leading gun safety laws that require licenses to own a firearm.' She did not say why her office decided to stop pursuing its legal defense of the social media requirement."
A proposed federal court settlement will eliminate the requirement for New Yorkers applying for concealed carry permits to disclose their social media accounts. This requirement was part of the 2022 Concealed Carry Improvement Act, enacted after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated previous gun licensing regulations. While the state continues to defend most aspects of the law, the attorney general's office agreed to stop enforcing the social media requirement. Advocates argue that this requirement infringed on rights, while officials maintain the importance of gun safety laws.
Read at Gothamist
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