S 2731: Allows rifles, shotguns, and firearms on college and university campuses.

  
  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