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A2406Assembly2017-2018 SessionSame asS1414

Enact Gun Purchase Waiting Period

Official title

“Establishes a waiting period before a firearm, shotgun or rifle may be delivered to a person”

Sponsor Amy PaulinAD-88+25 co-sponsorsAffects Legal
Status
In Senate Committee
Codes
Impact
7/10
Significant
Passage
0%

Bill progress

Step 5 of 7

In Senate · Codes

What's happening

This bill establishes a mandatory waiting period of up to ten business days for firearm, rifle, and shotgun sales or transfers in New York if a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) response is not immediately received.

Why it matters

  1. Closes the "default proceed" loophole. By requiring up to a ten-business-day waiting period if a NICS background check is delayed (rather than immediately allowing the sale after three days as under federal law), the bill reduces the risk that someone prohibited from owning a firearm gets one due to an incomplete background check.

  2. Applies waiting period to all sales, including gun shows and private transfers. The legislation extends the waiting period requirement to gunsmiths, dealers, gun shows, federally licensed dealers, and private sales (except immediate family), ensuring broad coverage and minimizing possible workarounds.

  3. Potential impact on gun purchasers and sellers. Law-abiding buyers may experience delays in acquiring firearms, especially if background checks take longer, but the tradeoff is intended to enhance public safety by giving authorities more time to identify disqualifying information.

  4. Strengthens record-keeping and enforcement. The bill reinforces existing requirements for record-keeping by dealers and mandates that transaction records and waiting periods are properly documented, facilitating oversight and compliance checks.

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Who cares

  • Licensed gun dealers and gunsmiths

    They would have to withhold covered firearm deliveries until NICS issues a “proceed” response or ten business days elapse without a denial.

  • Firearm, rifle and shotgun buyers

    Buyers whose background checks remain unresolved would face a ten-business-day wait for delivery unless NICS issues a “proceed” response sooner.

  • Gun show sellers and transferors

    They would face the same NICS clearance or ten-business-day requirement before delivering firearms, rifles or shotguns at gun shows.

  • Dealers handling private gun transfers

    Dealers conducting background checks for these transactions would have to follow the new delivery restrictions.

Headline styles

Enact Gun Purchase Waiting Period

Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.

Sponsors

History

  1. Referred to codes
  2. Delivered to senate
  3. Passed assembly
  4. Ordered to third reading rules cal.10
  5. Rules report cal.10
  6. Reported
  7. Reported referred to rules
  8. Referred to codes
  9. Referred to codes

Companion bill

The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.

S1414Senate

Enact Gun Purchase Waiting Period

In Senate Committee · Codes · Sponsor Tony Avella

Impact 7 · Significant0% to pass

Full text

3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

2406

2017-2018 Regular Sessions

IN ASSEMBLY

January 20, 2017

Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN, DINOWITZ, GALEF, GOTTFRIED, MOSLEY, SIMON, JAFFEE, BLAKE, HOOPER, BUCHWALD, ABINANTI, OTIS, STECK -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes

AN ACT to amend the penal law and the general business law, in relation to establishing a waiting period before a firearm, shotgun or rifle may be delivered to a person

The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. Subdivision 12 of section 400.00 of the penal law, as amended by chapter 1 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows:

12. Records required of gunsmiths and dealers in firearms. Any person licensed as gunsmith or dealer in firearms shall keep a record book approved as to form, except in the city of New York, by the superintendent of state police. In the record book shall be entered at the time of every transaction involving a firearm the date, name, age, occupation and residence of any person from whom a firearm is received or to whom a firearm is delivered, and the calibre, make, model, manufacturer's name and serial number, or if none, any other distinguishing number or identification mark on such firearm. Before delivering a firearm to any person, the licensee shall require him to produce either a license valid under this section to carry or possess the same, or proof of lawful authority as an exempt person pursuant to section 265.20 of this chapter and either (a) the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) or its successor has issued a "proceed" response to the licensee, or (b) ten business days have elapsed since the date the licensee contacted NICS to initiate a national instate criminal background check and NICS has not notified the licensee that the transfer of the firearm to such person should be denied. In addition, before delivering a firearm to a peace officer, the licensee shall verify that person's status as a peace officer with the division of state police. After completing the foregoing, the licensee shall remove and retain the

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD01251-01-7

A. 2406 2

attached coupon and enter in the record book the date of such license, number, if any, and name of the licensing officer, in the case of the holder of a license to carry or possess, or the shield or other number, if any, assignment and department, unit or agency, in the case of an exempt person. The original transaction report shall be forwarded to the division of state police within ten days of delivering a firearm to any person, and a duplicate copy shall be kept by the licensee. The superintendent of state police may designate that such record shall be completed and transmitted in electronic form. A dealer may be granted a waiver from transmitting such records in electronic form if the superintendent determines that such dealer is incapable of such transmission due to technological limitations that are not reasonably within the control of the dealer, or other exceptional circumstances demonstrated by the dealer, pursuant to a process established in regulation, and at the discretion of the superintendent. Records assembled or collected for purposes of inclusion in the database created pursuant to section 400.02 of this article shall not be subject to disclosure pursuant to article six of the public officers law. The record book shall be maintained on the premises mentioned and described in the license and shall be open at all reasonable hours for inspection by any peace officer, acting pursuant to his special duties, or police officer. In the event of cancellation or revocation of the license for gunsmith or dealer in firearms, or discontinuance of business by a licensee, such record book shall be immediately surrendered to the licensing officer in the city of New York, and in the counties of Nassau and Suffolk, and elsewhere in the state to the executive department, division of state police.

§ 2. The penal law is amended by adding a new section 400.20 to read as follows: § 400.20 Waiting period in connection with the sale or transfer of a

rifle or shotgun.

When a national instant criminal background check is required pursuant to state or federal law to be conducted through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) or its successor in connection with the sale or transfer of a rifle or shotgun to any person, before delivering a rifle or shotgun to such person, either (a) NICS has issued a "proceed" response to the seller or transferor, or (b) ten business days shall have elapsed since the date the seller or transferor contacted NICS to initiate a national instant criminal background check and NICS has not notified the seller or transferor that the transfer of the rifle or shotgun to such person should be denied.

§ 3. Subdivision 1 of section 897 of the general business law, as added by chapter 189 of the laws of 2000, is amended to read as follows:

1. A national instant criminal background check shall be conducted and no person shall sell or transfer a firearm, rifle or shotgun at a gun show, except in accordance with the provisions of 18 U.S.C. 922(t), provided that before delivering a firearm, rifle or shotgun to any person, either (a) the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) or its successor has issued a "proceed" response to the seller or transferor, or (b) ten business days shall have elapsed since the date the seller or transferor contacted NICS to initiate a national instant criminal background check and NICS has not notified the seller or transferor that the transfer of the firearm, rifle or shotgun to such person should be denied.

§ 4. Subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 898 of the general business law, as added by chapter 1 of the laws of 2013, are amended to read as follows:

A. 2406 3

1. In addition to any other requirements pursuant to state and federal law, all sales, exchanges or disposals of firearms, rifles or shotguns shall be conducted in accordance with this section unless such sale, exchange or disposal is conducted by a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer or licensed dealer, as those terms are defined in 18 USC § 922, when such sale, exchange or disposal is conducted pursuant to that person's federal firearms license or such sale, exchange or disposal is between members of an immediate family. When a sale, exchange or disposal is conducted pursuant to a person's federal firearms license, before delivering a firearm, rifle or shotgun to any person, either (a) the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) or its successor has issued a "proceed" response to the federal firearms licensee, or (b) ten business days shall have elapsed since the date the federal firearms licensee contacted NICS to initiate a national instant criminal background check and NICS has not notified the federal firearms licensee that the transfer of the firearm, rifle or shotgun to such person should be denied. For purposes of this section, "immediate family" shall mean spouses, domestic partners, children and step-children.

2. Before any sale, exchange or disposal pursuant to this article, a national instant criminal background check must be completed by a dealer who consents to conduct such check, and upon completion of such background check, shall complete a document, the form of which shall be approved by the superintendent of state police, that identifies and confirms that such check was performed. Before a dealer who consents to conduct a national instant criminal background check delivers a firearm, rifle or shotgun to any person, either (a) NICS issued a "proceed" response to the dealer, or (b) ten business days shall have elapsed since the date the dealer contacted NICS to initiate a national instant criminal background check and NICS has not notified the dealer that the transfer of the firearm, rifle or shotgun to such person should be denied.

§ 5. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have become a law.

Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.

Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.