Bill Text: NY A08909 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to establishing the civil rights restoration act and amends provisions of law regarding firearm licenses and destruction of firearms; exempts certain individuals from providing photographs in order to obtain a firearm license; expands the definition of immediate family.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 10-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-08 - referred to judiciary [A08909 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-A08909-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8909 IN ASSEMBLY January 8, 2018 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. HAWLEY, STEC, BRABENEC, LAWRENCE, CROUCH, MONTES- ANO, BLANKENBUSH -- read once and referred to the Committee on Judici- ary AN ACT to amend the civil rights law, in relation to establishing the civil rights restoration act; to amend the penal law, in relation to medical and/or clinical records and reporting for purposes of firearm licenses, in relation to the destruction of firearms, in relation to registration of sellers of ammunition, and in relation to exempting certain individuals from having to provide a photograph for firearm licensing purposes; to amend the general business law, in relation to expanding the definition of immediate family; to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to reporting; repealing certain provisions of the penal law relating to firearms licenses and sellers of ammunition; and repealing certain provisions of the mental hygiene law and the executive law, relating to reporting of substantial risk or threat of harm by mental health professionals The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "civil rights restoration act". 3 § 2. The civil rights law is amended by adding a new section 79-o to 4 read as follows: 5 § 79-o. Civil rights restoration. 1. In any proceeding that may impact 6 an individual's rights under the second amendment of the United States 7 constitution, or any similar state right, including such proceedings 8 that could result in the loss of a license to carry or possess a 9 firearm: 10 (a) No court order shall be issued nor proceeding be commenced unless 11 all pleadings or other accusatory instruments have been filed and served 12 in conformity with article thirty of the civil practice law and rules, 13 and where such pleading includes an allegation that the individual has 14 been "involuntarily committed to a mental institution," such pleading 15 shall include an allegation as to the said court order date and juris- 16 diction; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD08834-04-7A. 8909 2 1 (b) The burden of proof in such proceeding shall be no less than clear 2 and convincing evidence; 3 (c) Individuals may examine the entire contents of his or her firearm 4 license records constructed by state and local licensing and law 5 enforcement authorities; 6 (d) There shall be a right to counsel, including the right to assigned 7 counsel, if counsel cannot be afforded; and 8 (e) Any firearms confiscated and/or surrendered into law enforcement 9 evidence status during such proceeding shall not be destroyed, unless 10 specifically directed through a written order by a court of competent 11 jurisdiction at the conclusion of all disqualification proceedings 12 relating to the individual, including any appeals undertaken. 13 2. (a) There shall be contemporaneous written notification to all 14 individuals being reported to any law enforcement database that could 15 result in the deprivation of rights to own, possess, or use a firearm 16 and/or the deprivation of a lawfully owned firearm, including, but not 17 limited to, reports under former section 9.46 of the mental hygiene law 18 and under 18 USC § 922(g). 19 (b) There shall be written notification transmitted within ninety days 20 of the effective date of this section to all individuals previously 21 reported into any law enforcement database that could result in the 22 deprivation of rights to own, possess, or use a firearm and/or the 23 deprivation of a lawfully owned firearm, including, but not limited to, 24 the databases maintained by the office of mental health, the division of 25 criminal justice services, and the division of state police in conjunc- 26 tion with reports made under the former section 9.46 of the mental 27 hygiene law and/or under 18 USC § 922(g)(4), and that such written 28 notification shall include notice that the individual may have a right 29 to commence a proceeding in either the New York state supreme court or 30 county court under article seventy-eight of the civil practice laws and 31 rules if he or she believes that the information contained within the 32 notification is in error. 33 (c) Any individual, business, or governmental official who, knowing 34 the information reported, conveyed or circulated to be false, reports 35 that a person has been involuntarily committed, shall be subject to a 36 civil fine of not more than ten thousand dollars per offense. 37 (d) In any proceeding where an individual establishes that a report 38 that he or she was involuntarily committed was false, reasonable attor- 39 ney's fees and costs shall be reimbursed by the state. 40 (e) The state shall correct any false or incorrect report against an 41 individual to state and federal databases, including those under 18 USC 42 §922(g), within seven days of entry and service upon the state of a 43 final order of disposition in a case. The failure of the state to timely 44 do so shall be punishable as a contempt of court. 45 (f) Notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation to the contrary, an 46 individual's medical and/or clinical records shall not be used for 47 routine law enforcement reporting purposes relative to firearms owner- 48 ship, use, possession, or suitability. 49 § 3. Section 400.02 of the penal law, as added by chapter 1 of the 50 laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows: 51 § 400.02 Statewide license and record database. 52 There shall be a statewide license and record database which shall be 53 created and maintained by the division of state police the cost of which 54 shall not be borne by any municipality. Records assembled or collected 55 for purposes of inclusion in such database shall not be subject to 56 disclosure pursuant to article six of the public officers law, exceptingA. 8909 3 1 any non-identifying records such as existing statistical tabulations or 2 those capable of being performed or such record responses as can be 3 reasonably satisfied through redacted response. Records containing 4 granted license applications shall be periodically checked by the divi- 5 sion of criminal justice services against criminal [conviction, mental6health, and all other records] convictions as [are] is necessary to 7 determine their continued accuracy as well as whether an individual is 8 no longer a valid license holder. The division of criminal justice 9 services shall also check pending applications made pursuant to this 10 article against such records to determine whether a license may be 11 granted. All state agencies shall cooperate with the division of crimi- 12 nal justice services, as otherwise authorized by law, in making their 13 records available for such checks. The division of criminal justice 14 services, upon determining that an individual is ineligible to possess a 15 license, or is no longer a valid license holder, shall notify the appli- 16 cable licensing official of such determination and such licensing offi- 17 cial shall not issue a license or revoke such license and any weapons 18 owned or possessed by such individual shall be removed consistent with 19 the provisions of subdivision eleven of section 400.00 of this article. 20 Local and state law enforcement shall have access to such database, as 21 otherwise authorized by law, in the performance of their duties. Records 22 assembled or collected for purposes of inclusion in the database estab- 23 lished by this section shall be released pursuant to a court order. 24 § 4. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 11 of section 400.00 of the penal 25 law is REPEALED. 26 § 5. Section 400.05 of the penal law is amended by adding a new subdi- 27 vision 7 to read as follows: 28 7. Whenever any machine-gun or firearm is destroyed pursuant to subdi- 29 vision two of this section, all state and local law enforcement agencies 30 shall publish on their website, on an annual basis, an inventory of 31 every machine-gun or firearm that is destroyed, including the caliber, 32 make, model, manufacturer's name, serial number, or if none, any other 33 distinguishing number or identification mark of the machine-gun or 34 firearm, and if applicable, the jurisdiction and date of the court order 35 directing the surrender and/or destruction of such machine-gun or 36 firearm. 37 § 6. Paragraph (c) of subdivisions 11 and 16-a and paragraph (b) of 38 subdivision 10 of section 400.00 of the penal law are REPEALED. 39 § 7. Subdivision 1 of section 898 of the general business law, as 40 added by chapter 1 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows: 41 1. In addition to any other requirements pursuant to state and feder- 42 al law, all sales, exchanges or disposals of firearms, rifles or shot- 43 guns shall be conducted in accordance with this section unless such 44 sale, exchange or disposal is conducted by a licensed importer, licensed 45 manufacturer or licensed dealer, as those terms are defined in 18 USC § 46 922, when such sale, exchange or disposal is conducted pursuant to that 47 person's federal firearms license or such sale, exchange or disposal is 48 between members of an immediate family. For purposes of this section, 49 "immediate family" shall mean spouses, domestic partners, parents, 50 brothers, sisters, children and step-children. 51 § 8. Subdivision 17 of section 400.00 of the penal law is renumbered 52 subdivision 18 and a new subdivision 17 is added to read as follows: 53 17. Applicants who have a genuine and sincere religious belief, who 54 have provided fingerprints pursuant to this section, shall not be 55 required to provide photographs of themselves in order to obtain a 56 license as required by this section.A. 8909 4 1 § 9. Section 400.03 of the penal law is REPEALED. 2 § 10. Subdivision 16-a of section 400.00 of the penal law is amended 3 by adding a new paragraph (c) to read as follows: 4 (c) The division of state police shall not require the registration of 5 a seller of ammunition, as defined in subdivision twenty-four of section 6 265.00 of this chapter, in order for such seller of ammunition to oper- 7 ate his or her business. 8 § 11. Section 9.46 of the mental hygiene law is REPEALED. 9 § 12. Subdivision 19 of section 837 of the executive law is REPEALED. 10 § 13. Paragraph 12 of subdivision (c) of section 33.13 of the mental 11 hygiene law, as amended by chapter 1 of the laws of 2013, is amended to 12 read as follows: 13 12. to a director of community services as defined in article nine of 14 this chapter or his or her designee, provided that such director or his 15 or her designee [(i)] requests such information in the exercise of his 16 or her statutory functions, powers and duties pursuant to section 9.37, 17 9.45, 9.47, 9.48, 9.60 or 41.13 of this chapter[; or (ii) the disclosure18of information is required pursuant to section 9.46 of this chapter]. 19 § 14. One year after the completion of transmission of notification of 20 all individuals pursuant to paragraph (b) of subdivision two of section 21 79-o of the civil rights law, as added by section two of this act, all 22 offices and agencies in use or possession of reports required under the 23 former section 9.46 of the mental hygiene law shall purge all such 24 information. 25 § 15. Severability. If any provision of this act, or the application 26 thereof to any person or circumstance, shall be adjudged by any court of 27 competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unconstitutional, such judgment 28 shall not affect, impair or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall 29 be confined in its operation to the provision of this act, or in its 30 application to the person or circumstance, directly involved in the 31 controversy in which such judgment shall have been rendered. 32 § 16. This act shall take effect immediately.
