Senators to vote on US gun reform as NY considers concealed carry
With photos of the young victims in Uvalde, Texas, behind her, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, speaks in support of Democratic gun control measures, called the Protecting Our Kids Act, in response to mass shootings in Texas and New York, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, June 2, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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Gun reform in America is beginning to take shape. On Thursday, New York City officials made it clear that “nothing has changed” in the state despite the US Supreme Court striking down the law that places restrictions on carrying a concealed handgun outside the home.

According to New York Police Department Commissioner Keechant Sewell, “The important thing to know today is that nothing changes.” She continued, “If you have a premise permit, it does not automatically convert to a carry permit. If you carry a gun illegally in NYC, you will be arrested.”

According to CNN, the case was returned to the lower court and is still in effect until it goes through the legal process. In the meantime, Sewell said the NYPD is evaluating the permit process.

“We are taking a look at our policies our procedures and our licensing scheme as it stands now,” she said.

Senate looks to vote on gun reform as early as today

Per CNN, just after the Supreme Court handed down its ruling on New York’s gun law, a major bipartisan gun safety bill moved one step closer to final passage in the Senate on Thursday after a critical vote succeeded in advancing the measure with Republican support.

The legislation is now on a path to pass the Senate before the week is out — with the potential for a final vote to take place as early as later today.

The bipartisan gun reform deal is the first major federal gun safety legislation in decades. It includes millions of dollars for mental health, school safety, crisis intervention programs and incentives for states to include juvenile records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

It also makes significant changes to the process when someone ages 18 to 21 goes to buy a firearm and closes the so-called boyfriend loophole.

The package amounts to the most significant new federal legislation to address gun violence since the expired 10-year assault weapons ban of 1994 — though it fails to ban any weapons and falls far short of what Democrats and polls show most Americans want to see.

Hailing from Charlotte North Carolina, born litterateur Ezekiel J. Walker earned a B.A. in Psychology at Winston Salem State University. Walker later published his first creative nonfiction book and has...