NYC May Soon Issue Health Warnings With Firearms Permits

When New York City residents apply for their firearms permit, they may be signing up for more than the right to bear arms.

On Monday, the City Council’s Committee on Public Safety voted 6-1 on a bill that would require the NYPD to “disclose gun violence information to applicants for firearm licenses and permits.”

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In other words, your permit could soon come with a health warning.

More specifically, police will be required to give firearm license applicants a printed statement that reads (emphasis mine):

Warning: The presence of a firearm in the home has been associated with an increased risk of death to self and others, including an increased risk of suicide, death during domestic violence incidents, and unintentional deaths to children and others.

Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson, a co-sponsor of the bill, compared the warning to that on a pack of cigarettes.

“Just like the warning that you see on the side of cigarette packs have changed the perception of smoking, these gun warnings are the first step to changing the public’s conversation,” she said, according to the New York Post.

If the bill becomes law, New York City will become the first major city issue such a warning.

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