© AP/Hans PenninkNew York Governor Kathy Hochul
New York lawmakers approved a sweeping overhaul Friday of the state's handgun licensing rules, seeking to preserve some limits on firearms after the
Supreme Court ruled that most people have a right to carry a handgun for personal protection.The measure, signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul after passing both chambers by wide margins, is almost sure to draw more legal challenges from gun rights advocates who say the state is still putting too many restrictions on who can get guns and where they can carry them.
Hochul, a Democrat, called the Democrat-controlled Legislature back to Albany to work on the law after
last week's high-court ruling overturning the state's longstanding licensing restrictions.Backers said the law, which takes effect Sept. 1, strikes the right balance between complying with the Supreme Court's ruling and keeping weapons out of the hands of people likely to use them recklessly or with criminal intent. But some Republican lawmakers, opposed to tighter restrictions, argued
the law violated the constitutional right to bear arms. They predicted it too would end up being overturned.
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