Gun law changes in NY unlikely to impact sport hunting: Conners
Unfortunately, it is very probable the most recent Supreme Court decision on gun rights and the bill signed by the President this past weekend – the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act – will at some point, slam head-first into the law of unintended consequences; these things invariably do.
The opinion of the nation’s highest court was laser focused on New York’s Sullivan Law. When the Court said requiring pistol permit applicants to demonstrate “proper cause” was a violation of their constitutional rights it upended more than 100-years of what government leaders have viewed as black letter law here in New York.
Even before the Court declared the proper cause provision of the Sullivan Law unconstitutional, and Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act before going into recess, the New York State Legislature had passed what has been called “sweeping gun legislation” in the closing hours of the 2022 session. I’m sure pitfalls in the new laws will surface in the coming weeks and months. Superfluous consequences will creep out of the shadows. They may be beneficial. They may be harmful. They may mean nothing at all. On the other hand, all of this could end up exacerbating the very problems they were supposed to solve.
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Most surprising have been the calls from gun owners who believe the ruling means upstate gun owners are now free to carry their handguns in New York City. It does not. If you carry your handgun into New York City it is the same as having no handgun permit at all.
The most obvious intersect all of this will have on the sporting community is the package of laws passed by the state legislature. Youngsters under 21 will no longer be able to buy or possess a semi-automatic rifle and those over 21 will not be able to do so without a special permit. The semi-automatic that you already own is grandfathered in.
From a sporting perspective, as unnerving as all of this may be, your sporting arms should not be a problem. But, on the other hand, if you decide to do something stupid like “I’m going to carry my handgun the next time I visit the Big Apple,” you could be setting yourself up to lose your right to own not just a handgun, but also long guns. In which case you’ll have to develop an interest in archery.
DEC Announces Leashed Tracking Dog Examination
In August, the Department of Environmental Conservation will be administering three licensing exams, one of which is the for the Leashed Tracking Dog Handler License. The registration deadline is Aug. 10, and the exam will be held online Aug. 12.
In New York State, hunters may not hunt big game with a dog. They are not even allowed to track wounded big game using a trained tracking dog. But there is a licensing process that will allow them the privilege of tracking a wounded deer or bear. Trackers get a lot of enjoyment of training their dogs and at least an equal amount of satisfaction from recovering wounded big game animals, while providing an invaluable service to the hunting community.
Exams for licenses to practice the sport of falconry, and a volunteer wildlife rehabilitator, will administered at the same time as the Leashed Tracking Dog Handler.
For additional information regarding the falconry and wildlife Rehabilitator exams and licenses visit the DEC website at www.dec.ny.gov
To qualify for a Leashed Tracking Dog Handler License, applicants must score 80% or higher on the written exam and possess a valid state hunting license.
For questions or assistance, contact the DEC Special Licenses Unit at 625 Broadway, Albany, 518-402-8985 or SpecialLicenses@dec.ny.gov.
To learn more about big game tracking and recovery visit the Deer Search, Inc., website at deersearch.org/.
Bill Conners of the Federation of Fish and Game Clubs writes on outdoors issues. Email: conners@billconners.net.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Hunting in New York shouldn't change with gun laws
