NY State Senate Bill 2025-S626

Senate Bill S626

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Adds ammunition to the list of prohibited items to purchase or dispose of after certain convictions

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Codes Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2025	referred to codes

2025-S626 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A202
Current Committee:: Senate Codes
Law Section:: Penal Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §265.17, Pen L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S7299, A8575
2021-2022: S3545, A383
2023-2024: S1892, A659

2025-S626 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to adding ammunition to the list of prohibited items to purchase or dispose of after certain convictions.

2025-S626 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S626

SPONSOR: STAVISKY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the penal law, in relation to adding ammunition to the
list of prohibited items to purchase or dispose of after certain
convictions

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

To prevent "straw purchases" of ammunition.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1, Amends Section 265.17 of the penal law, as amended by chapter
1 of the laws of 2013, by adding ammunition to the crime of criminal
purchase or disposal of a weapon. A person would be guilty of the crimi-
nal purchase or disposal of ammunition when: knowing that they are
legally prohibited from possessing ammunition, such person purchases
ammunition; or when knowing that it would be unlawful for another person
to possess ammunition, he or she purchases ammunition for, on behalf of,

or for the use of such other person.

Section 2. Sets forth the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Currently, a person is guilty of the criminal purchase or disposal of a
weapon when knowing that it would be unlawful for another person to
possess a firearm, rifle or shotgun, he or she purchases a firearm,
rifle or shotgun for, on behalf of, or for the use of such other
person-known as a "straw purchase." This section also makes it illegal
for an individual to purchase a weapon when they know that they are
legally prohibited from possessing it.

Since New York 1aw requires that an individual pass a background check
to purchase ammunition, this section of the Penal Law should be amended
to include ammunition in addition to firearms, rifles and shotguns.

In the recent mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, a friend of the shooter
allegedly purchased the ammunition used. This highlights the need to
update our state's law to prevent ammunition from ending up in the wrong
hands

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2019-2020: A.8575/S.7299 - Referred Codes.

2021-2022: A.383/3.3545 Referred Codes.

2023-2024: A659/S1892 - Rtred to Codes.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S626 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    626
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes
 
 AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to adding ammunition  to  the
   list  of  prohibited  items  to  purchase  or dispose of after certain
   convictions

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. Section 265.17 of the penal law, as amended by chapter 236
 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read as follows:
 § 265.17 Criminal purchase or disposal of a weapon OR AMMUNITION.
   A person is guilty of criminal purchase or disposal  of  a  weapon  OR
 AMMUNITION when:
   1.  Knowing  that  [he  or  she] SUCH PERSON is prohibited by law from
 possessing a firearm, rifle [or], shotgun OR  AMMUNITION  because  of  a
 prior  conviction or because of some other disability which would render
 [him or her] SUCH PERSON ineligible to lawfully possess a firearm, rifle
 [or], shotgun OR AMMUNITION in this state, or knowing that [he  or  she]
 SUCH  PERSON  is  the subject of an outstanding warrant of arrest issued
 upon the alleged commission of a felony or serious offense, such  person
 purchases  or otherwise acquires a firearm, rifle [or], shotgun OR AMMU-
 NITION from another person; or
   2. Knowing that it would be unlawful for another person to  possess  a
 firearm,  rifle  [or],  shotgun  OR  AMMUNITION, or knowing that another
 person is the subject of an outstanding warrant of  arrest  issued  upon
 the  alleged commission of a felony or serious offense, [he or she] SUCH
 PERSON purchases or otherwise acquires a firearm, rifle [or], shotgun OR
 AMMUNITION for, on behalf of, or for the use of such other person; or
   3. Knowing that another person is prohibited by law from possessing  a
 firearm, rifle [or], shotgun OR AMMUNITION because of a prior conviction
 or because of some other disability which would render [him or her] SUCH
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD01042-01-5
 S. 626                              2

 OTHER PERSON ineligible to lawfully possess a firearm, rifle [or], shot-
 gun  OR  AMMUNITION in this state, or knowing that another person is the
 subject of an outstanding warrant of  arrest  issued  upon  the  alleged
 commission  of  a  felony  or  serious  offense,  a person disposes of a
 firearm, rifle [or], shotgun OR AMMUNITION to such other person.
   Criminal purchase or disposal of a weapon OR AMMUNITION is a  class  D
 felony.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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