Governor Hochul called a special session which reconvened state lawmakers on Thursday, June 30th to address the SCOTUS ruling on concealed carry and Roe v. Wade. During the special session, the Legislature passed and the Governor signed legislation that strengthened existing gun laws and bolstered restrictions on concealed carry. The legislation (A.41001/S.51001) restricts the carrying of concealed weapons in sensitive locations, expands eligibility requirements for concealed carry permits, enhances safe storage requirements, establishes state oversight over background checks, creates a statewide licenses and ammunition database, and expands the body armor purchase ban to include hard body armor. Click here to read the Governor’s full press release on this legislation. The Legislature also passed a resolution, known as the Equality Amendment, to enshrine equal rights into the New York State constitution. The resolution is the first step to amend the NYS constitution to add ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, and sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy to existing protections that currently cover discrimination based on race, color, religion or creed. To amend the State constitution, the Legislature will have to pass the Equality Amendment a second time before it will go onto the ballot for approval by NYS voters in 2024. Click here to read the Governor’s press release celebrating passage of the resolution.