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Bill

S 9334

Relates to consumer warnings regarding rifles, shotguns, and firearms

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jamaal Bailey and 13 co-sponsors

The bill requires graphic health and safety warnings about rifles, shotguns, and firearms to accompany licenses, permits, and dealer notices, with penalties for non-compliance.

REFERRED TO CODES
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · S 9334

Summary of Bill S. 9334 (2025-2026) – New York

Purpose and intent

  • The bill introduces requirements for graphic health and safety warnings related to firearms (rifles and shotguns) that accompany firearm licenses, permits, and dealer notices.
  • It aims to ensure licensees, permittees, and consumers who encounter firearm-related notices are informed about health and safety risks associated with rifles, shotguns, and firearms.

Key provisions and changes

  • Section 400.00 added subdivision 21:
    • (a) Upon issuance or amendment of a license/permit for possession of a firearm, rifle, or shotgun, the licensing officer must provide the licensee/permittee:
    • a graphic warning or warnings designed under paragraph (c),
    • together with the notice required by subdivision 20 of section 400.00.
    • (b) If a firearms dealer displays or provides the notice required by subdivision 20, they must also display an adjacent graphic warning sign designed under paragraph (c). The graphic warning sign must be unobstructed.
    • (c) The Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Mental Hygiene (DMH) must:
    • (i) design one or more graphic warnings illustrating the health and safety risks described in the required notice (subdivision 20),
    • (ii) publish and make available on DOH/DMH websites the designed graphic warnings.
    • (d) Violations of paragraph (b) incur civil penalties:
    • $5,000 for the first violation within any 12-month period,
    • $10,000 for a second or subsequent violation within any 12-month period.
    • (e) DOH and DMH may issue any necessary rules to implement paragraph (c).

Affected parties and entities

  • Licensees and permittees: Individuals who receive firearms licenses or permits from licensing officers.
  • Firearms dealers: Retailers or entities that display or provide required notices to customers.
  • State agencies: Department of Health and Department of Mental Hygiene, which must design and publish the graphic warnings and may promulgate implementing rules.
  • General public/consumers: Individuals receiving notices or viewing warnings as part of firearm-related transactions or licensing processes.

Procedural and timeline details

  • Effective date: The act would take effect on the 210th day after it becomes law.
  • Enforcement: Civil penalties apply for non-compliance with the graphic warning display requirements.
  • Implementation: DOH and DMH are responsible for creating the graphic warnings and for Rulemaking as needed to implement the provisions.

Practical impact and considerations

  • Graphic warnings: The bill mandates visual warnings to accompany firearm-related notices, with content designed by DOH/DMH. The exact nature of the warnings (design, content) would be determined by the departments and published on their websites.
  • Compliance burden: Licensing officers and firearms dealers would need to incorporate the new graphic warnings into existing notice processes, and ensure unobstructed display.
  • Penalties: A civil penalty regime provides a measurable consequence for non-compliance, potentially incentivizing adherence.
  • Scope: The bill addresses both licensing processes and retail displays, ensuring warnings accompany both licensing disclosures and consumer-facing notices in the sale/transfer context.

Notes

  • The text indicates new content is “new” and is added to the penal law; existing notices referenced as subdivision twenty are part of current law but not reproduced here.
  • The bill is introduced in the New York Senate (S 9334), with multiple co-sponsors, and referred to the Codes Committee.

If you’d like, I can add a side-by-side comparison with current law (as it exists today) to highlight exactly what changes the bill would make in practice.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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