Vintage store sign on the side of a building of a gun store shop in Australia

New York State gun stores will soon be required to post warning signs on the premises that basically say having a firearm in your home is harmful to your health and others. This is yet again another example of helicopter Senators who say they are on the forefront of addressing issues related to gun use by trying to overly supervise their constituents’ lives while not addressing the real issues at hand.

New York Senate Bill S6649 will require gun stores and gunsmiths to place signs—yes multiple signs—that warn customers that firearm purchases “significantly increase” the risk of suicide, lethal domestic violence or deadly accidents to children.

The actual warning sign must read:

Access to a weapon or firearm in the home significantly increases the risk of suicide, death during domestic disputes, and/or unintentional deaths to children, household members and others. If you or a loved one is experiencing distress and/or depression, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.”

The soon to be law, sitting on Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk ready for her expected signature, requires multiple warning signs to be hung. One warning sign must be posted at an entrance, a second where the firearms are being sold and “at least one more in an additional area” by licensed gun dealers or gunsmiths.

It begs me to wonder if gun sellers and gunsmiths also be required to provide counseling services to those who exercise their 2A right? New York Senators must believe that their citizens are not emotionally intelligent enough to understand the responsibilities of gun ownership.

Suicide, domestic violence and keeping our children safe are the real issues. The justification for the bill cites a number of research projects including a Swiss-based report on increased gun ownership in the U.S., and a study by the Annals of Internal Medicine that exposed children to firearms in their home. The data was also used to determine that guns in households led to more suicides and domestic violence. Shouldn’t the effort be placed to better help those depressed and contemplating suicide? Or those exposed to violence in their home by a spouse or domestic partner? Shouldn’t we be teaching our kids that guns can kill just like a hot stove burns or look both ways before crossing the street?

I can image what gun retailers might be telling firearm customers in the near future: Here is a flyer on a local concealed carry course, a link to public lands open to hunting and the 1-800 number for health an human services. The time and effort put into this bill and enacting this law could have been better used to enhance existing social programs that deal with domestic violence, children’s safety and suicide preventions. Doctors, councillors, social workers and all those people with the hands on experience need to help people in crisis. The rest of us can help by talking to friends, neighbors and relatives before the thought of violence even enters their mind.

This soon to be law is a blatant Band Aid approach that guns cause problems. Problems are caused by people. Make the process for getting help easier and faster.

I suppose the New York State Senate needs someone to blame someone when tragedy involves a gun. These are sure warning signs that the New York Senate does not have a handle on the real issues and that maybe a sign should be hung up in the state house warning that stupidity leads to the creation of bad, pointless laws.

59 COMMENTS

  1. The First Amendment not only protects your freedom of speech from infringement by the government, but it also protects you from government compelled speech.

    Forcing gun stores to hang signs in their private places of business certainly feels like compelled speech.

    • Honestly the 10 day waiting period on all firearm purchases and the credit card regulations pending are far more concerning. Probably some expansion of red flags too but need to catch up.

      A-2822/S-6649, Relates to warnings to be posted and provided by firearms dealers.

      A-4917D/S-4598D, Enacts the “School Anti-Violence Education Act”; creates a school anti-violence education program; provides that funding will be provided through the omnibus school violence prevention grant program.

      A-5873/S-3340, Requires Extreme Risk Protection Orders to be reported to the statewide computerized registry of orders of protection and certain warrants of arrest.

      A-7555A/S-7392A, Relates to the dangers to safety and health and the creation of a public nuisance caused by the sale, manufacturing, distribution, importing, and marketing of firearms.

      A-7717B/S-8589A, Relates to who can be a petitioner for an Extreme Risk Protection Order.

      A-8569/S-8044, Defines the term “mass shooting” for purposes of emergency response measures and access to emergency funding as a shooting incident in which at least four people are murdered with a firearm, rifle, or shotgun.

      A-9862A/S-8479A, Requires issuers of credit and debit cards to use certain merchant category codes for firearm and ammunition dealers.

      A-10053A/S-7365B, Requires reasonable controls and procedures to be taken to prevent the installation and use of a pistol converter.

      A-10356A/S-9760, Directs that statewide resources and information relating to safe storage of firearms, child access prevention and firearm violence prevention and information on county and local specific laws and regulations related to child access prevention and the safe storage of firearms shall be provided to individuals at the time of issuance of a firearm license.

        • Eh they will catch up in the infringement special olympics. But yes put together everything you want/can and prepare the future generations as our states (amongst others) are going to make things stupid.

          • Well we’re planning a move east to God’s country>Indiana. Shocking how difference much a mile makes! 2 good friends moved there in the last few years

            • Got some years before moving is anything but a dream…… unless things get Covid stupid again in which case fuck it I will see what I can do in Florida.

      • Prevention of pistol converters, is that arm braces, or probably make sure your NY glocks can’t take a Glock switch?

        That public nuisance when selling importing or marketing firearms sounds pretty bad as well.

        • It is what’s expected from a deranged demoCrap state that turned an expired misdemeanor into 34 felonies. FJB.

          TRUMP 2024.

      • A-9862A/S-8479A is a pointless expansion of a bureaucracy that already tracks what and where you purchase.

        Kill it on 4th amendment grounds if you want, but they already get that info from data brokers without a constitutional issue.

        Without dismantling the surveillance apparatus already in place (buying a hammer spring from Numrich lands you on a watchlist) you are wasting time and effort better spent on knocking on doors to support political opposition to the current clown show.

        • From NY (not the fed side) most of our programs would not be able to track such purchases without drastically simplifying the data (see recent crackdowns done with DHS/ATF assistance on identifying rifle parts purchases).

    • Firearms retailers should post an additional sign above these required signs:

      WE PROMISE THAT EVERY FIREARM WE SELL WILL BE DANGEROUS WHEN USED PROPERLY.

      Gunsmiths should post:

      IF IT WASN’T DANGEROUS WHEN YOU BROUGHT IT IN, IT WILL BE WHEN YOU GET IT BACK.

    • Forcing gun stores to place these signs IN (or ON) their private places of business (private property) is government compelled speech – it is unconstitutional (a violation of the first amendment).

      Other governmental efforts to compel speech have also been held by the Supreme Court to violate the First Amendment an example of one among many was a California law that required certain pro-life centers that offer pregnancy-related services to provide certain notices. (Nat’l Inst. of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, 585 U.S. ___, No. 16-1140, slip op. at 7 (2018) )

      But in contrast SCOTUS has also held that an advertiser’s rights are reasonably protected as long as disclosure requirements are reasonably related to the State’s interest in preventing deception of consumers.

      That statement “Access to a weapon or firearm in the home significantly increases the risk of suicide, death during domestic disputes, and/or unintentional deaths to children, household members and others.” — is subjectively factually untrue. The broad ‘Access’ word, aside from the other stuff, starts it off with being subjectively factually untrue as simply having ‘Access to a weapon or firearm in the home’ does not “significantly” increase risk of anything.

      There are literally over 100 million people in the country that have “Access to a” firearm in the home. If that “significantly” increased risk of those things the statement says there would be a lot more bad things happen, so the ‘risk’ is not as great as what they portray as “significant” and in fact the risk factor is a lot less (by ~1,000 times less) than that of the chances of a person dying or being seriously injured in a car accident or by being near a road/street with car traffic.

      And excluding firearms … Everyone in a home in the United States has “Access to a weapon” or some type, everything from ‘personal weapons’ (e.g. hands, feet) to ‘improvised weapons’ (e.g. blunt objects, hand tools) to ‘household chemicals’ to ‘drugs’ to weapons in the form of knives/forks. Do these also “significantly” increased risk of those things the statement says? Why yes they do for example collectively: in suicides, deaths during domestic disputes, and/or unintentional deaths to children, household members and others, over 95% of the time one of these other ‘non-firearm’ ‘weapons’ were used. Are ya gonna, for example, force a place that sells pottery (a blunt object weapon) to hang up these signs too?

      This statement is pure anti-gun BS that has been debunked numerous times by unbiased independent peer-reviewed scientific research. The government (in this case the state of NY) can not constitutionally compel this speech.

      • Ultimately my state is one of the test cases for what can be argued and see what can be pushed through attrition. Friendly reminder that until you can buy NFA items from a vending machine and/or drive throughs there are plenty of unconstitutional laws in your own states to challenge and/or repeal.

  2. “at least one more in an additional area” – above the urinal is the obvious location.

    • I moved away from NY because I couldn’t take life behind the iron curtain anymore. Best decision of my life.

      That said, if I were a gun dealer in NY, these signs would become the centerpiece of my store’s public message board, where all patrons would be encouraged to express their true and honest opinions about the Wicked Witch of the North and her unconstitutional reign of terror. If you try to compel my speech, I’ll work very hard to drown you out.

      • This. If someone tries to compel my speech, they are going to get my noncompelled speech along side it that will destroy their compelled speech every time

      • I was best man at my friend’s wedding. Every truck stop I stopped at I wrote on the wall For a good time call Cindy 620-449- 2341.
        My friend was pissed he was getting phone calls.

  3. A person who has not heard of something/anything is an idiot.
    A person who cannot comprehend something is said to be stupid.
    Both idiot and stupid are not bad words when used in context.
    However, this idea of signs in gun stores goes beyond idiocracy and stupidity.
    There must be a 3rd word to describe this!
    I can think of 2 words……bull shit!

    • While I derisively call it retarded, malicious incompetence is fitting for my area.

  4. Meanwhile in Chicongo the weekend toll is 7 killed, 33 wounded over the weekend, with no arrests so far – or ever.
    Maybe there should be a message included with your monthly welfare payments that living in Democrat-run paradise can significantly reduce your life expectancy

      • chicongo?

        Consider this fact azzhat…Gun Control is Rooted in Racism the same damned way chicongo is.

        • Consider this, Debby – by totally fucking ignoring FACTS (aka statistics) and spouting off continuously with your canned echo bullshit, you are the one labeled ” Bigot”… look it up or have someone else read you the definition.
          Oh, and in your own words, STFU.

  5. The gun store owners should add disclaimer to the post: “Guns Can Be Dangerous To Criminal”

  6. I agree, having a gun is your home can be deadly for others. Especially those who commit home invasions in the middle of the night. However, I have seen a label that said “remove baby before folding stroller”.

  7. Good news is this means they’re pretty much out of ideas and this doesn’t add any further hindrance to accessing your right.

    Bad news is this is incredibly stupid, childish and sofa king we Todd did not to mention gae as shit.

  8. Should have added “firearms in the hands of demoncrats will add health risks to themselves and others”. I might add if there is a statistic for smoking tobacco versus being in close proximity to a demoncrat with a firearm, I’ll go with tobacco is safer for 5000 Alex.

  9. So when a thief steals a gun from someone Y who bought it at Gunstore X, and grifter C “becomes gripped by the fear that this now feral weapon will be inevitably be used to kill her Chihuahua-doodle”, her lawfare-yer can point to the sign as proof the owner of Gunstore X “knew something bad could happen”…

    How cornweenyunt.

  10. Quoting from an article by retired Texas Ranger Lee Young:

    ——–

    While I was stationed in Garland in the late 1980s, I was once in a downtown Dallas restaurant for lunch. While awaiting my food order, a gentleman seated at the table nearest to my left caught my attention. He appeared to be somewhat excited and to have something of vital importance to convey to me.

    The gentleman motioned in the direction of my Colt .45 Model 1911 A1. It was resting peacefully in an engraved holster made by the late Tol Dawson, Retired Texas Ranger, Company E, in Del Rio. It was also cocked and locked.
    The man questioned, “Sir, do you know that your pistol is cocked?”

    “Yes sir, I know it’s cocked,” I replied.

    He appeared incredulous and then inquired, “Ain’t that kind of dangerous?”

    I answered without hesitation: “If it weren’t dangerous, I wouldn’t be carrying it.”

    ——–

    This law strikes me as exactly as constitutional as laws requiring crisis pregnancy centers to post pro-abortion signs.

    • The way I heard it:

      Lady: “That pistol is cocked. You must be expecting trouble.”

      Ranger: “No ma’am, if I was expecting trouble, I would have brought my rifle. “

  11. “… New York Senators must believe that their citizens are not emotionally intelligent enough to understand the responsibilities of gun ownership…”

    What else would they believe of the knuckleheads that voted for them? That they’re mature, rational adults?

  12. Stove retailers should be required to post signs that say: “Caution, stoves get hot.”

    Baseball bat retailers should be required to post signs that say: “Hit your head with this and it will hurt.”

    Boat retailers should be required to post: “Caution, may sink leading to drowning.”

    Any other stupid warnings I can come up with, hmm. I know, hair dryers should say: “Don’t use while in the shower.” Oh, wait …

  13. How about making it a requirement to post signs at strip clubs and porn shops. Saying sex outside of marriage is dangerous. Or we can say that hom.osex.ual sex is dangerous.

    It all depends on whose ox is being gored

  14. I don’t see anything that says how big the signs have to be, or if they have to be readable without a magnifying glass.
    They can also post signs right next to it that say “Voting Democrat can be hazardous to your health.”

  15. Here in Oregon, a sleazy attorney can get away with arguing that a 12 gauge shotgun isn’t a deadly weapon as long as it is loaded with “harmless buckshot.”

    • Elmer I’ve heard the story Many times I thought that you had a terrible lawyer if they couldn’t convince a jury/judge that buckshot is deadly at quite a distance.

  16. Following the logic, all public restrooms owners must hang signs advising visitors to take off their pants before taking a dump.

  17. Wow! Why didn’t someone think of
    New York Senate Bill S6649 earlier?

    Think of how many millions of lives would have been saved?

  18. And underneath that sign should be another one declaring that having Democrats in power is even more dangerous.

  19. How about a sign which states, “New York state is dangerous to your Constitutional rights and its politicians won’t be happy until you are 100% completely disarmed and a subservient serf.”

    How about all you New Yorkers sick of your state voting with your feet?

  20. It couldn’t possibly outdo Cali prop 46 which effectively states EVERYTHING is hazardous! I think we all know lead ingestion (especially hot lead) is bad for you.

    • I think that should be Prop 65 (warnings pasted everywhere imaginable). ex-Californian here…

  21. So a firearm can be potentially dangerous. As can my vehicles, chainsaw, axe, kitchen knives, or even the pillow on my bed if placed and held firmly over someone’s face.
    If misused, or used for criminal or evil intent, almost anything can be dangerous.
    Can we force Dementiacrat politicians to also come with warning labels? Or Medical doctors who write prescriptions for unnecessary medications?

  22. This is such a great idea that we should require sporting goods pushers to post signs warning that having fishing tackle increases the chance of getting a hook in your hand or face, that hiking gear increases both the chance of getting blisters and of falling off a mountain, waterskiing increases the chances of injury from falling down, and that voting for power-hungry idiots who want to control every aspect of the peasants’ lives leads to infantilization of former adults.

  23. I wonder if they’re contemplating an equivalent law in pot shops, and all places selling alcohol.

  24. Wouldn’t those signs be a selling point? After all, the whole point of guns is to be dangerous.

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