A00814 (Chap. 26): New Public Awareness Campaign on Safe Firearm Storage and Child Access Prevention

What the Law Does

Chapter 26 of the Laws of 2025 directs the New York Commissioner of Health to develop and implement a public awareness campaign focused on the safe storage of firearms, rifles, and shotguns and child access prevention^[1]. The campaign must include educational materials and resources covering state and local child-access-prevention and safe-storage laws, secure-storage methods, and firearm-violence-prevention resources. The Senate companion S00746 was substituted by A00814, which was signed by Governor Hochul on February 14, 2025.^[1]

This law complements existing New York safe storage obligations. Under Penal Law 265.45, it is a criminal offense to fail to safely store a rifle, shotgun, or firearm when a person resides with a minor under 18 or a prohibited person. A separate but related statute, PL 265.46, specifically addresses situations where a child under 16 is likely to gain access to an unsecured firearm. Together, these provisions create overlapping safe storage duties. The public awareness campaign is designed to increase voluntary compliance with both requirements.

Current Status

Signed into law as Chapter 26 of the Laws of 2025. The statute required the Department of Health to develop and implement the campaign by July 1, 2025. It also requires the Department to review the materials on July 1, 2026, and every July 1 thereafter, updating them as necessary. The Department now maintains a public Gun Safety page with safe-storage guidance and related resources.^[2]

What to Watch

The statute sets minimum requirements for the campaign. Its materials must address New York child-access-prevention and safe-storage laws, storage methods, violence-prevention resources, and relevant county and local rules. The materials must be readily shareable in digital form, posted on the Department website, and supplied to requesting agencies for dissemination.^[1]