Requires the division of criminal justice services to report on handgun licenses

BILL NUMBER:A10894

Title of bill

An act to amend the executive law, in relation to reporting on handgun licenses

Purpose

To require the Division of Criminal Justice Services to report on the administration of certain laws related to handgun licenses.

Summary of provisions

Section 1 of the bill amends the executive law by adding a new section 837-s to require an annual report by the Divi- sion of Criminal Justice Services on the administration, function and effectiveness of administration of the laws regarding the issuance, modification of, amendment to, and revocation of handgun licenses in each city with a population greater than one million and each county. The report shall include a description of how applications for handgun licenses are received, processed, reviewed, and approved or rejected; information on personnel and staffing employed to process and administer handgun licenses; for each of the preceding five calendar years, the number of handgun licenses issued, the number of handgun licenses revoked, the number of handgun licenses amended, the number of applica- tions for handgun licenses rejected, and the number of handgun licenses outstanding at the end of the year; and a detailed description of instruction, if any, offered to handgun license applicants or licensees.

Section 2 of the bill sets forth the effective date.

Justification

The State Police currently maintains a master database of all records of handgun transactions and pistol license issuances, amend- ments, cancellations, and revocations throughout the State, a repository for the mandated "records of transaction" that accompany sales by gun dealers or between private residents. This information helps the State Police quickly establish the current ownership of a weapon and the legality of a person's possession of a weapon. This bill would build on the efforts already in place to accumulate this data by requiring the Division of Criminal Justice Services to submit an annual report to the legislature and the governor that presents statistical information based on this data on a county by county basis. The bill would also provide a useful description of the handgun licensing policies and procedures followed by each issuing authority throughout the State. Both the statistics and the overview of policies and procedures would increase transparency and provide a helpful backdrop for policy discussions among legislators and the public at large.

Legislative history

This is a new bill.

Fiscal impact on the state

Minimal

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.