Could concealed guns become legal on the subways?

What the Supreme Court ruling on NY's gun law could mean for mass transit [FORWARD TO A FRIEND]( [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [DONATE]( [WNYC Politics Brief] What the Supreme Court gun ruling could mean for mass transit in New York City Plus: To make the subway system safer, why not run more trains? The BQE is still crumbling, and there's still no plan to repair it. And one man has succeeded at using every single dock in the entire Citi Bike system. Sponsor Message[Ad: NYC Means Business. Click here to find options to help you shop your city.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- [a gun control advocate stands in front of the Supreme Court holding an "end gun violence' sign] Jacquelyn Martin/AP The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling this month on New York’s strict gun permitting laws, which currently require gun owners to show "proper cause" for needing to carry a concealed firearm. If the conservative-leaning court throws out the century-old provision, as many New Yorkers fear, there's concern that more handguns will come into public areas, along with more shootings. But there are also questions about how public places like the subways and buses, which have already seen several high profile shootings this year, will be regulated. Legal experts said the city and state can make an argument designating the subways, buses and rails a so-called "sensitive place" — a designation barring all firearms in certain locations even to concealed carry owners. But many — including the Supreme Court justices themselves in oral argument — forecast this as the next legal battleground: How far can governments go in banning concealed-carry in public places? MTA board member Norman Brown said if members of the public are allowed to carry a concealed weapon, there’s going to be an even greater demand for more policing in the subways. "It’s gonna be a complete disaster and shows how anti-urban the Supreme Court is at foundation," said Brown, who serves on the board as the labor commissioner for Metro-North. He also worries about the ongoing efforts to bring riders back to the subway system, which is still seeing reduced ridership due to the pandemic and concerns about safety. "This is both a practical fear and a marketing fear," Brown said. "How do you market the train if you are assuming the guy with the heavy coat has a gun under it?" 'Best worst idea' Kirk D. Burkhalter, a law professor at New York Law School and a retired detective of the NYPD who served for 20 years, said the idea of allowing more civilians to carry concealed guns in New York City is the "best worst idea I’ve heard in quite some time." "When you have people without training armed, innocent people get hurt," Burkhalter said. "It’s one of the most dangerous things I can think of." Burkhalter believes the federal government, which regulates travel and doesn’t allow firearms on airplanes, is likely to step in and regulate that space. But he fears that outdoor places won't be as easy to regulate. "Road rage, for instance — that’s the first thing that pops into my mind," Burkhalter said. "We routinely have people that get into physical altercations and assault one another, either with their fist or a blunt instrument. Arming a civilian populace so they can settle their problems with a firearm as opposed to other ways is a huge problem." Workarounds Warren Eller, a chair of the Department of Public Management at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said he's confident that even if the Supreme Court strikes down New York’s conceal permit law there will be enough other regulations to prohibit most people from carrying guns in public. "I’d bet what the city is going to do is pass a pretty large host of restrictions on conceal carry permits to include public transportation, making the argument that subway stations and even the subway itself is no different than large stadiums or other places where firearms are prohibited even with permits in different states," Eller said. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who [recently signed]( several gun control measures following the mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, said last week that she’s been working with the state’s legal and policy team and Everytown For Gun Safety, a non-profit gun reform group, since they learned the Supreme Court would take up this case. She expects to have a legal response ready if the court rules in favor of loosening the gun restrictions, but she wouldn’t say what her plan is. "I need to be able to keep my cards close," Hochul said. "But the second that decision comes down because we've already done the groundwork, we'll be able to have an analysis done fairly quickly." Fears persist Still, the potential ruling has transit advocates fearful. "After the spate of recent shootings, riders have made it clear that they do not feel safer or comfortable with people more easily bringing guns into the transit system," said Lisa Daglian, executive director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA. "The state, city, and MTA should continue to ban guns on transit and continue to fight against ghost guns and other illegal weapons." After the non-fatal mass shooting on an N train in April, [Mayor Adams suggested]( installing metal detectors around the subway system. It’s unclear how effective a program like that would be, given the vastness of the subway system and the multiple points of entry. But some MTA board members support the efforts. "There are new types of metal detectors that are geared to guns or other weapons, rather than going off if someone has a huge bracelet or a metal hip," said MTA board member Andrew Albert. "I think we should be looking at all these technologies to keep guns out of the system." — [Reporting by Stephen Nessen]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsor Message [Ad: NYC Means Business. Click here to find options to help you shop your city.] --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- Calls for better subway service, mental health support in response to 'omnipresent' policing [commuters stand on the 42nd Street subway platform as a train pulls in] Spencer Platt/Getty Images Outside the Barclays Center on Sunday, the transit advocacy group Riders Alliance released a plan to improve public safety in the subway system that focuses on enhanced transit service, more station agents and better options for the homeless. Their plan comes in response to Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul’s push for police "omnipresence" in the city’s subways and a return to quality-of-life policing for violations such as farebeating and selling goods in subway stations. "We hear a lot about crime, sometimes in the papers, and on TV, but millions of people are riding the subway each day and observing some really key issues that need to be addressed," said Riders Alliance’s Danny Pearlstein. "There’s only so much law enforcement can do." One recommendation in their proposal, "[A Riders Plan for Public Safety,]( is for the state to increase funding for more non-law enforcement station personnel who can help riders feel safe in stations, help them figure out how to use the system and tell them where to go in case of an emergency. The group is also calling on the MTA to improve service speeds for trains so they run every six minutes. "You feel safe when there are more people around," explained Riders Alliance's Derrick Holmes. "How do you make people feel safe? You improve service." — [Reporting by Max Rivlin-Nadler]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- Here's What Else Is Happening The man accused of shooting a fellow passenger aboard a Q train last month has been indicted on murder charges. Andrew Abdullah, 25, was charged with second degree murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the May 22nd shooting of Daniel Enriquez, a Goldman Sachs employee who was on his way to brunch. Abdullah is being represented by the Legal Aid Society, which raised questions about the strength of the DA's evidence. "We are still waiting on discovery from the District Attorney’s office, including information on the five witnesses who could not identify Mr. Abdullah during a police lineup," said Kristin Bruan, an attorney with Legal Aid's homicide defense task force. ( [Gothamist]( The new bike lane barriers next to Union Square aren't keeping vehicles out. As part of a pilot program for testing out new bike lane barriers, the Department of Transportation installed little rubber mounds next the 15th Street and 17th Street bike lanes last weekend, but vehicles (including a Parks Department truck) have already been spotted plowing into the bike lanes. "It doesn't make me feel safer but I'm happy that they're trying," said one scooter rider. ([Hell gate]( A new study found that even if hybrid work culture persists, cross-Hudson commuting is still going to surpass 2019 levels by 2030. The Regional Plan Association released a report yesterday claiming that Tuesday-through-Thursday commuting under the Hudson River will likely surpass pre-pandemic levels in less than a decade. The group said its finding is further evidence that the Gateway tunnel project needs to be funded — and with a sense of urgency, since Republican victories in the upcoming midterms could jeopardize the effort. ([CBS New York]( There's still no plan to fix the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, which is actively deteriorating. Last summer, two lanes were removed from the six-lane section of the highway, and automatic ticketing for overweight trucks is set to begin early next year. But there's still no plan to actually repair the BQE — though Mayor Adams has announced plans to begin construction on a repair plan within in the next five years. ([The New York Times]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- And Finally: Meet the elite Citi Biker who has used every dock (including the ones in NJ) [a screenshot of the YouTube video about Citi Biker Scott Ambinder]( [Streetfilms/YouTube]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- Programming note: The We The Commuters newsletter will be off next week, and will return on Thursday, June 30th. --------------------------------------------------------------- 🚆 --------------------------------------------------------------- [Ad: NYC Means Business. Click here to find options to help you shop your city.]( Sponsor Message Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential election coverage and more. 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