Federal appeals court blocks some of New York gun law

A federal appeals court has blocked enforcement of three parts of a New York gun law that places restrictions on carrying a concealed firearm.

The 261-page opinion filed Friday partially leaves in place lower-court orders freezing enforcement of the concealed-carry law, while allowing most other aspects of the law to take effect. The law in question, the Concealed Carry Improvement Act, faced legal battles not long after its inception.

One part of the law, according to the opinion, requires prospective gunowners to “submit … a list of former and current social media accounts of the applicant from the past three years to confirm the information regarding the applicant[’]s character and conduct.”

Friday’s opinion from the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals blocks that requirement.

Another provision in the law “makes it a crime to possess firearms in a ‘restricted location,’” which could include private property that’s “generally open to the public” such as a grocery store.

Friday’s opinion strikes down that provision, with respect to “private property held open to the general public.”

Friday’s opinion freezes enforcement of one provision, which would have largely banned carrying a firearm at places of worship, for one group of plaintiffs that had previously sued, alleging “the place of worship provision substantially burdens their ‘right to the free exercise of religion.’”

The court noted its decision is not conclusive, and that the laws might be reinstated after being fully examined by the lower courts.

“Our affirmance or vacatur of the district courts’ injunctions does not determine the ultimate constitutionality of the challenged CCIA provisions, which await further briefing, discovery, and historical analysis, both in these cases as they proceed and perhaps in other…