New York gun owners must now keep their firearms in locked storage whenever the guns are not in use, under legislation Governor Kathy Hochul signed on Wednesday, October 22, according to the governor's office. Hochul signed the bills at the New Yorkers Against Gun Violence annual benefit dinner.
Source: Office of Governor Kathy Hochul (press release)
The signing took place on the fifth anniversary of the death of a 17-year-old who died in 2021 after accessing an unsecured firearm at home. The safe-storage law is named Francesco's Law in his memory. His mother helped establish Francesco's Foundation after his death and became a leading advocate for stronger safe-storage laws to prevent other families from experiencing similar tragedies, the governor's office said. No photograph of the teenager is published with this story.
What Francesco's Law requires
The law, A.1962-B/S.9629, requires gun owners to securely store firearms in an appropriate, locked storage container when they are not being used, and creates stronger penalties when minors and unlicensed individuals access unsecured guns, the governor's office said. It closes a gap in state law that allowed owners to leave firearms unsecured in homes without children or prohibited individuals. Under the bill text, a firearm left out of the owner's immediate possession or control must be locked in an appropriate safe storage depository or rendered incapable of being fired by a gun locking device, and the child-access protections extend to all minors under 18, whether or not they live in the home. Anyone found in violation must receive educational materials on secure storage prepared by the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which must also collect and analyse data on injuries and deaths of minors linked to unsafe storage.
“A locked gun can mean the difference between a life lost and a life saved,” said State Senator Erik Bottcher, the bill's Senate sponsor.
Ammunition checks aligned with gun checks
The second law, S.7236/A.7943, strengthens background checks for purchasing ammunition by aligning them with the requirements for purchasing a firearm. It clarifies that individuals prohibited by law from owning a rifle or shotgun, or subject to a temporary or extreme risk protection order, may not purchase ammunition, the governor's office said. “If a person fails a background check to buy or possess a shotgun or rifle, they should also be unable to purchase ammunition,” said Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz.
“Keeping New Yorkers safe is my number one priority,” Governor Hochul said. “Today, I'm proud to make our nation-leading laws even stronger to keep guns and ammunition out of the wrong hands and make our children and communities safer.” The Sun Community News, reporting the same signing, confirmed both bill numbers and the governor's account of what each law does.
What is solid
- Governor Hochul signed Francesco's Law (A.1962-B/S.9629) and the ammunition-check law (S.7236/A.7943) on October 22, 2026, according to the governor's office, confirmed by the Sun Community News.
- Francesco's Law requires firearms to be kept in an appropriate locked storage container when not in use, with stronger penalties when minors or unlicensed people access unsecured guns, closing the previous gap for homes without children.
- The ammunition law aligns ammunition background checks with firearm purchase checks and bars people prohibited from owning a rifle or shotgun, or under a temporary or extreme risk protection order, from buying ammunition.
What is only claimed
- Claims that safe-storage laws lower youth suicide, unintentional injury and homicide rates come from studies cited by supporters such as the Mental Health Association in New York State; the signing itself does not prove the new law's future effect in New York.
- One header line in the governor's release mirror listed the ammunition bill as A.7983 while the release body and the Sun Community News both give A.7943; this story follows the body text and the independent report.