I will curse SCOTUS and especially Clarence Thomas for the rest of my life because of the vicious and mindless decision regarding New York’s long-time, sane gun restriction laws.
But even before the decision came down (after Dobbs, as if the cowards were trying to sneak this in behind our outrage over dumping Roe), New York was legislatively slamming into it.
Nowhere in the deservedly mocked Second Amendment does it say, sure, you can bring your weapon into Central Park along with your picnic basket. Yesterday, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine posted on Twitter a list of places where nobody can carry guns. Here’s his tweet and list:
NY is fighting back against SCOTUS’s attack on our gun laws.
Starting tomorrow, guns will be prohibited in:
* Public transit
* Schools
* Entertainment venues
* Playgrounds, parks
* Medical facilities
* Houses of worship
* Court houses
* Rallies, demonstrations
* Times Sq (!)
Anybody who knows this city will realize there is barely one block without at least one of these no-gun places. In my immediate neighborhood we have several houses of worship — including a mosque around the corner — schools, playgrounds, quite a few medical facilities, and entertainment venues (clubs and restaurants).
Indeed, although many people may not know it, the median on Broadway is a city park. A very long park, running from 60th Street up to 168th. Last week, my cousin Regina and I sat on a bench in that park right outside of Zabar’s, and ate bagels toasted especially for us.
Oh, and I forgot public transit. This is New York. We have not only subway stations every couple of blocks but there are buses up and down all the avenues and multiple cross streets.
The “tomorrow” in Levine’s tweet is today — Thursday, September 1, 2022.