ALBANY — The swift passage of major new concealed carry restrictions on New York gun owners — a measure passed with no public hearings — is being met with strong reactions from elected leaders and the New York State Sheriffs Association.

Questions are also swirling about just how the restrictions will impact the approximately 132,000 full-time residents of the sprawling Adirondack Park — the largest state-owned public park in the lower 48 states.

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Stefanik: Law ‘a disgrace’

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The legislation, quickly signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul, forbids concealed carry permit holders from bringing their weapons into parks. The public roads within the Adirondack Park are part of the park territory.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Saratoga, whose congressional district includes parts of the Adirondack Park, called it “a disgrace” that residents were never given an opportunity to review or comment on the legislation before its hurried passage on the Friday leading into the Fourth of July weekend.

“The fact that they’ve held no public hearings shows the arrogance and just sheer incompetence of how bad this legislation is,” Stefanik told CNHI.

She added: “When you walk outside your house now and you have a firearm, that makes you a criminal in Kathy Hochul’s reality.” She also said visitors to the Adirondack Park who are authorized to carry concealed handguns could also face criminal charges if they drive into the Adirondack Park.

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Scare tactics

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One of the sponsors of the legislation, Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz, D-the Bronx, accused Stefanik and other critics of the new law of “spreading scare tactics,” insisting the law won’t result in pistol permit holders having their firearms confiscated. and it doesn’t bar them from having a concealed weapon on private property, he added.

“It’s very clear: People with concealed carry permits, if they’re in one of the (gun-free) zones that we designated, then they can’t carry unless they’re one of the exempted people,” Dinowitz said. Examples of those exempted include pistol permit holders who are retired police officers and members of the National Guard and military veterans who have acquired certification they have received firearms training.

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Jones criticism

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The criticism of the measure isn’t coming from just Republicans.

Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-Plattsburgh, also decried the fact the legislation was rushed through without any public forums.

Jones, who voted against the measure, said he is trying to get clarification on the parameters of the restrictions to determine the impacts on Adirondack Park residents.

“It is unclear after reading the direct language of the bill how this will impact those who live in the park, which is one of the concerns I raised about rushing through this legislation,” Jones said.

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Police pushback

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Supporters of the measure lobbied on behalf of the proposal following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June striking down New York’s protocol for concealed carry permits as unconstitutional on the Second Amendment rights of New Yorkers.

In its first public reaction to the law, the New York State Sheriffs Association said lawmakers hurried through the legislation “without any consultation with the people who will be responsible for carrying out the provisions of those new laws.” Such an approach, the group said “has resulted in other criminal justice disasters such as New York’s so-called Bail Reform Law.”

The sheriffs play a central role in screening New York pistol permit applicants.

“We do not support punitive licensing requirements that aim only to restrain and punish law-abiding citizens who wish to exercise their Second Amendment rights,” said the sheriffs, who are elected independently in their respective counties.

While the Supreme Court decision necessitated some action by New York lawmakers, their association said, “it did not need to be thoughtless, reactionary action, just to make a political statement.”

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‘False narrative’

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When she was a congressional representative a decade ago, Hochul scored a strong rating from the National Rifle Association. On Friday, she said New Yorkers, due to the state’s stringent gun restrictions, are far less likely to be killed by gunfire than residents in states where firearms are more readily available Hochul called it a “false narrative” that the issuance of concealed carry pistol permits enhances public safety.

“Imagine you’re on a crowded subway and you bang into somebody inadvertently, tempers flare, and the person that you banged into happens to be carrying a concealed weapon,” the governor said. “Imagine you’re in a bar, someone starts a fight, they have a concealed weapon on them. Imagine you’re in Times Square visiting with your family. You’re on the way to a show with your family and you’re surrounded by people with concealed weapons. Does that make you feel more or less safe?”

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Concern growing

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Tom King, president of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, said the wording of the legislation is so vague it will have to be addressed in new concealed carry regulations that have yet to be promulgated by state agencies.

In the meantime, King said, there is growing concern among gun owners that the new law is intended to curtail hunting in the Adirondacks.

“I think the law is going to be overturned in the courts, though it may take a while to get there,” said King, whose group was the lead plaintiff in the challenge to the concealed carry permit that resulted in the nation’s highest court throwing out New York’s 109-year-old concealed carry law.

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‘Wasted no time’

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One group that applauded the rapid passage of the new law is Everytown for Gun Safety, an advocacy group supported by billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg, a former Republican mayor of New York City who is now a Democratic supporter of firearms restrictions.

“New York has been a leader when it comes to gun safety, so it’s no surprise that state lawmakers wasted no time addressing the dangerous situation created by the court,” said John Feinblatt, president of the organization which retained an Albany lobbyist to help nudge the bill through the two chambers of the Legislature.

Another lawmaker whose district includes parts of the Adirondack Park, Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, said the new concealed carry measure “only serves to make our state less safe.”

“By forcing establishments to note if a person is allowed to carry a weapon inside, potential criminals know what places are secure and which are ripe for preying on,” Stec said. He also argued the law puts Adirondack Park residents “at risk for felony charges for merely owning a shotgun or rifle.”