The New York City Police Department has issued an emergency rule deleting the “proper cause” and “letter of necessity” requirements from their application process to obtain a concealed carry license thanks to a legal action filed by the Second Amendment Foundation.
SAF was joined by the Firearms Policy Coalition, Inc, several private citizens, whose license applications have now been processed. They were represented by attorney David Jensen, PLLC of New York.
“Even with the Supreme Court ruling striking down the ‘proper cause’ requirement, we wanted to make sure the New York licensing process swiftly complied with the court’s decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen,” noted SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “We’re delighted NYPD quickly complied, and we’ll chalk up one more victory in our effort to win back firearms freedom one lawsuit at a time.”
According to a memorandum detailing the emergency rule, New York City “must immediately implement an operative concealed carry licensing scheme to address an imminent threat to safety ad property. This emergency rule ensures that pending and recently denied or ‘downgraded’ applications are evaluated consistent with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Bruen.”
New York State has enacted new statewide licensing standards, but they do not take effect until Sept. 1. The emergency rule takes effect immediately. Applicants must still comply with other requirements, including a statement that the applicant has read and is familiar with provisions of state law, and that the applicant has or will receive training in the safe use of a handgun.
In issuing the three-page document, Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell acknowledged, “Delaying implementation of these emergency rules and procedures would be detrimental to the public’s safety and constitutional rights of license applicants within New York City.”
