Bill > S08460

This bill amends the New York State Penal Law to expand the definition of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree by explicitly including flare guns. Specifically, the bill first defines a "flare gun" as any handheld signaling device or signal pistol designed to fire a pyrotechnic flare, which can be single-shot or multi-shot and used for maritime, emergency, or recreational purposes. It then modifies existing law to add flare guns to the list of weapons that, when possessed with the intent to use unlawfully against another person, constitute a criminal offense. The bill changes the language from "he or she" to the gender-neutral "such person" and adds flare guns to the existing list of prohibited items like daggers, dangerous knives, and imitation pistols. By doing so, the legislation aims to prevent potential misuse of flare guns as weapons and provides law enforcement with clearer legal grounds to prosecute individuals who possess such devices with harmful intent. The act is set to take effect immediately upon passage.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S8460