Senate Bill S7953

                                BILL NUMBER:S7953

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the executive law, in relation to reporting on handgun licenses

PURPOSE:
To require the Division of Criminal Justice
Services to
report on the administration of certain laws related to handgun
licenses.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill amends the executive law
by adding a new section 837-s to require an annual report by the
Division of Criminal Justice Services on the administration, function
and effectiveness of administration of the laws regarding the
issuance, modification of, amendment to, and revocation of handgun
licenses in each city with a population greater than one million and
each county. The report shall include a description of how
applications for handgun licenses are received, processed, reviewed,
and approved or rejected;
information on personnel and staffing employed to process and
administer handgun licenses; for each of the preceding five calendar
years, the number of handgun licenses issued, the number of handgun
licenses revoked, the number of handgun licenses amended, the number
              

of applications for handgun licenses rejected, and the number of
handgun licenses outstanding at the end of the year; and a detailed
description of instruction, if any, offered to handgun license
applicants or licensees.

Section 2 of the bill sets forth the effective date.

JUSTIFICATION:
The State Police currently maintains a
master database
of all records of handgun transactions and pistol license issuances,
amendments cancellations, and revocations throughout the State, a
repository for the mandated "records of transaction" that
accompany sales by gun dealers or between private residents. This
information helps the State Police quickly establish the current
ownership of a weapon and the legality of a person's possession
of a weapon.  This bill would build on the efforts already in place
to accumulate this data by requiring the Division of Criminal
Justice to submit an annual report to the legislature and the
Governor that presents  statistical information based on this data
on a county by county basis.  The bill would also provide a useful
description of the handgun licensing policies and procedures
followed by each issuing authority throughout the State.  Both
the statistics and the overview of policies and procedures

would increase transparency and provide a helpful backdrop for
policy discussions among legislators and the public at large.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is a new bill.

FISCAL IMPACT ON THE STATE:
Minimal.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.