A pending U.S. Supreme Court decision that would allow more concealed weapons to be carried on New York City streets has been keeping Mayor Eric Adams up at night.
“All of us should be extremely alarmed about what the Supreme Court can do,” Adams told Channel 7 News on Sunday.
Under the state’s century-old law, New Yorkers must show a specific need for why they should be able to carry a concealed firearm before they are permitted to do so.
That law was challenged by the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, which claimed it violated Second Amendment rights under the Constitution.
Supreme Court justices have suggested that they agree that the law infringes on gun-owner rights and is expected to rule on the case during the current term.
The decision would also impact California, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
“It keeps me up at night,” Adams said. “We have some of the most stringent gun permitting laws. I’m extremely concerned about this. My legal team is talking to other cities to determine how we can come together to prepare for this ruling.”
New York’s crime rate has been blamed for holding back the city’s recovery from the pandemic, driving off tourists and deterring office workers from returning.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents to a Spectrum News/Siena College poll found that New Yorkers feel less safe than they did before the pandemic.
Robberies have jumped 39% in the first five months of the year, burglaries are up 32% and hate crimes have risen 13% compared with the same period last year, according to the latest data from the NYPD.
Shooting incidents are down 10% so far this year, according to police data, and murders had dropped 9%.
Adams blamed gang activity for the gun violence in the city and called for more punitive measures by prosecutors and judges for those caught with guns.
“If you are caught with a gun and you have another gun case after, that’s unacceptable,” he said. “When are we going to make more laws that protect the innocent people of this city and of this country?
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