A few blocks from New York City’s famed Times Square, a roadside sign flashed a warning to anyone visiting the so-called crossroads of the world.
“Times Square Gun Free Zone,” the LED-style sign announced in all-caps orange lettering.
“Licensed gun carriers and others may not enter unless otherwise specifically authorized by law,” the sign also blinked. “Violation of this prohibition is a felony.”
On other nearby blocks, plastic-covered signs affixed to traffic light poles carried the same message, with a graphic of a black pistol inside a red interdictory circle. …
Kerri Clegg, 48, a cake artist from London visiting with her daughter Claudia for her 18th birthday, said the signage “makes me feel a little bit better, it has to be said, because we know that there’ve been problems before.”
Clegg added: “Just generally, [they] make you feel safer, especially as English [people], because it’s not something we’re around a lot.”
Clegg noted that bustling hubs such as Times Square could be “big targets”, as it was “a very crowded, very touristy place”. …
— Victoria Bekiempis in ‘Good Luck Enforcing It’: New York Debuts Times Square Gun-free Zone
