Lawyers take aim at NYPD gun search policy 2 years after Supreme Court ruling

WNYC News

Two years after a landmark Supreme Court ruling ordered New York to make it easier for people to carry concealed firearms, legal experts say New York City has not become the Wild West version of itself some gun safety advocates had feared.

But they say some cracks have formed in the city’s long-held efforts to prevent gun violence by keeping as many guns as possible off the streets.

There’s no doubt that more people are now applying for permits to carry guns in public. NYPD data show applications for concealed carry permits have surged since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the case, New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, two years ago this month.

But it’s unclear how many more people are actually licensed to carry guns in the city, because the NYPD won’t disclose how many of those applications the department has approved.

Law enforcement, lawyers and judges are also wading through murky legal questions about whether the federal ruling should — or will — change the way police search for illegal guns on city streets. At issue is whether police should assume people they encounter with firearms are carrying them illegally, even though the Supreme Court has bolstered the right to carry a gun.

“I think this is very unsettled law,” said Peter Tilem, a lawyer who regularly represents gun owners in criminal and civil cases.