Can Sheriffs Refuse To Enforce Gun Laws They Disagree With? [POLL]

NEW YORK — After the United States Supreme Court took away control of concealed weapon permitting from New York, the state Senate and Assembly passed laws — which Gov. Kathy Hochul signed — that strengthened restrictions.

On Oct. 6, a federal judge blocked portions of New York’s law, including the part that specified “sensitive locations” where concealed carry would be prohibited.

Then on Wednesday, a federal appeals court said New York could keep the new gun restrictions in place while the state appeals the lower-court ruling, the Observer-Dispatch reported.

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It is anyone’s guess whether the state’s restrictions, which added eligibility requirements and firearm training to the concealed carry application process, will be allowed to remain in place.

However, there is another wrinkle in whether New York’s gun restrictions will ever completely go into effect around the state.

A half dozen sheriffs in upstate New York, including Greene County in the Hudson Valley, have publicly said they will not enforce the regulations, according to The New York Times.

Wayne County Sheriff Robert Milby said he is not going to take a proactive stance in enforcing the law, which, he said, restricts having concealed weapons “basically everywhere.”

The state law gave as examples of “sensitive locations” such places as libraries, public playgrounds, places of worship, public parks and zoos, colleges, public and private schools and polling places, to name just a few.

The New York State Sheriff’s Association, while saying its members strongly support reasonable licensing laws “that aim to assure that firearms do not get into the wrong hands,” said they do not support punitive licensing requirements “that aim only to restrain and punish ... citizens who wish to exercise their Second Amendment rights."

The association called for more workable licensing provisions that “respect the rights of our law-abiding citizens and punish the lawbreakers."

Now it’s your turn to weigh in on the issue. Vote in our unscientific poll and tell us what you think in the comments.