2026 Session Roundup: Concealed Carry and Sensitive Locations Proposals

What These Bills Would Do

Following the Supreme Court's 2022 decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass'n v. Bruen, New York enacted the Concealed Carry Improvement Act (CCIA) establishing a new permitting framework and an extensive list of "sensitive locations" where concealed carry is prohibited even with a valid license. The 2025-2026 session includes numerous proposals to adjust this framework from both directions.

Expanding carry rights:

• A04163 / S02021 — Would expand the concealed carry license to include open carry, a dramatic expansion of current law^[1]
• A01079 / S06785 — Would permit licensed judges and criminal prosecutors to carry concealed in courthouses without magnetometers^[2]
• A05599 / S03536 — Would permit judges and support magistrates to carry in sensitive locations^[3]
• A05321 / S03021 — Would prohibit DOT from banning concealed carry at rest stops and scenic overlooks^[4]
• S03127 — Would make any possession license automatically include concealed carry privileges

Restricting carry rights:

• A07382 / S01382 — Would prohibit concealed carry in national parks and wildlife refuges^[5]
• S01273 — Would prohibit openly carrying rifles or shotguns with certain exemptions
• A10385 — Would limit concealed carry exceptions near voting locations

Current Status

All of these bills remain referred to committees (primarily Codes) with no movement beyond initial referral. None has received a hearing or been advanced to third reading.

What to Watch

The CCIA's sensitive location provisions continue to be litigated in federal court, and any judicial narrowing of the list could render some of these legislative proposals moot. The Sullivan Act framework under Penal Law Article 400 remains the foundation of New York's licensing system, and the CCIA overlay adds complexity that legislators are still working to calibrate. Watch for the federal courts — particularly the Second Circuit — to issue rulings that reshape the legislative landscape on these issues.