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A599Assembly2025-2026 Session

Ban Animal Abusers' Guns

Official title

“Relates to the definition of serious offense and felony offenses against animals for purposes of possession of a firearm”

Sponsor Linda RosenthalAD-67Affects Legal
Status
In Assembly Committee
Codes
Impact
5/10
Moderate
Passage
8%

Bill progress

Step 2 of 7

In committee · Codes

What's happening

This bill adds felony animal cruelty offenses to the list of "serious offenses" that restrict firearm possession in New York.

Why it matters

  1. Expands the definition of "serious offense". By adding felony-level animal cruelty crimes, the bill increases the number of convictions that can permanently bar someone from legally possessing a firearm in New York.

  2. Targets individuals convicted of animal abuse. This reflects a legislative judgment that those who commit serious acts of cruelty toward animals may also pose heightened risks if allowed access to firearms, aligning with research linking animal abuse and other forms of violence.

  3. Potentially increases the number of people subject to gun restrictions. People convicted under the specified animal cruelty statutes would now face the same firearm prohibitions as those convicted of other serious crimes, which could have lasting impacts on their legal rights and public safety.

  4. Signals a broader approach to gun control. Including animal cruelty as a disqualifying offense indicates a shift toward considering a wider range of violent or harmful behaviors—not just offenses against people—when determining firearm eligibility.

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Who cares

Headline styles

Ban Animal Abusers' Guns

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

Sponsors

Primary sponsor
Linda Rosenthal

Assembly Member · Assembly District 67

Chair, Housing

No co-sponsors yet.

History

  1. Referred to codes
  2. Referred to codes

Full text

1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗

STATE OF NEW YORK

599

2025-2026 Regular Sessions

IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)

January 8, 2025

Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the Committee on Codes

AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to the definition of serious offense for purposes of possession of a firearm

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

Section 1. Subdivision 17 of section 265.00 of the penal law is amended by adding a new paragraph (d) to read as follows:

(d) an offense which would constitute a felony offense against an animal pursuant to section three hundred fifty-one, three hundred fifty-three-a, three hundred sixty, or three hundred sixty-one of the agriculture and markets law or section 242.15 of this part.

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

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

[ ] is old law to be omitted.

LBD02429-01-5

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.