STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2731
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 22, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. ORTT -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to allowing rifles, shotguns,
and firearms on college and university campuses
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 265.01-a of the penal law, as separately amended by
2 chapters 138 and 354 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
3 § 265.01-a Criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds.
4 A person is guilty of criminal possession of a weapon on school
5 grounds when [he or she] such person knowingly has in [his or her] their
6 possession a rifle, shotgun, or firearm in or upon a building or
7 grounds, used for educational purposes, of any school[, college, or
8 university, except the forestry lands, wherever located, owned, main-
9 tained or held in trust for the benefit of the New York State College of
10 Forestry at Syracuse University, now known as the State University of
11 New York college of environmental science and forestry,] or upon a
12 school bus as defined in section one hundred forty-two of the vehicle
13 and traffic law, without the written authorization of such educational
14 institution; provided, however no school, as defined in subdivision ten
15 of section eleven hundred twenty-five of the education law, shall issue
16 such written authorization to any teacher, school administrator, or
17 other person employed at the school who is not primarily employed as a
18 school resource officer, police officer, peace officer, or security
19 guard who has been issued a special armed guard registration card as
20 defined in section eighty-nine-f of the general business law, regardless
21 of whether the person is employed directly by such school or by a third
22 party. This section shall not apply to college or university buildings
23 or grounds.
24 Criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds is a class E felony.
25 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed-
26 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06900-01-5