New York is one of the least Second-Amendment friendly states in the country; New York City is even worse. Both do their passive-aggressive best to make it hard for the law-abiding citizen to exercise their right to self-defense.
But, perhaps coincidentally with the rise of the "Defund the Police" movement, a surge in antisemitic violence, district attorneys that appear to be taking the side fo criminals against normies, a surge in retirements from the NYPD, and the election of a mayor in New York City who seems perfectly amenable to all three of those things, New Yorkers are buying guns and getting carry permits at a record pace.
Gun permit applications are skyrocketing. Prior to the Bruen decision, on average, fewer than 100 law-abiding New York City residents each month applied for a permission slip to carry a firearm in the city for self-protection. There was a surge during the coronavirus pandemic and a post-Bruen surge, with the monthly average reaching 600 before stabilizing at between 400 to 500 for a consistent stretch, according to data from the New York State Police Department. Following the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel, the next month permit applications reached an all-time high at more than 1,270 — led by Jewish New Yorkers who decided to exercise their Second Amendment rights. Since then, an average of 700–800 permit applicants attempt the process each month, all just to exercise a God-given right enshrined in the Constitution.
Jews in particular, alarmed by the ongoing swelling of antisemitism and fallout from October 7 as well as the election of an openly antisemitic mayor, are flocking to New York City's few gun shops:
Jewish New Yorkers are arming themselves before an anti-Israel “mayor who despises us” takes the helm of New York City, several told The Post this week.
Michael Bergida, who opened a gun shop in Marine Park, Brooklyn, called Samson Armory — a nod to the Biblical Israelite warrior and symbol of sheer strength — said his new business is booming.
Bergida, 30, is arming everyone from fearful zaydes to terrified rabbis.
“We’re probably the only gun store to have a minyan,” said the 30-year-old Orthodox owner about the Jewish gathering for prayer.
Not that New York, city and state, aren't trying to stand in the way. As the Supreme Court has struck down anti-gun rules, New York governments have proven fairly tenacious in finding creative new, ever more passive aggresssive ways to keep law-abiding citizens helpless. The state requires 16 hours of classroom training s on top of a glacially slow bureaucratic process for applications:
A new federal lawsuit claims the NYPD License Division’s “excessive, unreasonable, and unjustifiable delays” in handling firearm permit applications are a violation of New Yorkers’ Second Amendment right to bear arms.
“The NYPD was not ready for the volume,” Jason Tsulis, a gun license holder and plaintiff in the suit, said. “They did not have the proper training.”
Last week, NY1 aired a report about complaints from Tsulis and other gun applicants who had to hire attorneys to get the NYPD to act on their concealed carry permits.
“I felt like something was bestowed to me when I should have owned it to begin with,” Tsulis said.
And yet the pace of people seeking to havigate the process rose ninefold earlier this year, before setting at a mere quijntuple the previous rate.
New York state requires every would-be gun carrier to go through a “safety training course” involving 16 hours of instruction, a written proficiency exam, and a live-fire assessment. That’s more training hours than any state but Maryland and Illinois requires, according to legal experts.
But New York hasn’t standardized the classes beyond outlining a handful of topics to touch on. As a result, a growing group of gun aficionados have stepped in to develop and run them. A person who passes a pair of National Rifle Association training courses can become a “duly authorized instructor.”
Few instructors are busier than Lance Dashefsky. The 57-year-old has more reviews on the U.S. Concealed Carry Association’s website than anyone else in the New York City area, earning a five-star rating. Most weekends, he is helping residents get locked and loaded.
Not sure the city's new government should consider this a vote of confidence.
