Guns in New York must be locked up when the owner isn't using them

Starting January 19, 2027, anyone in New York who owns or keeps a gun must lock it up whenever it isn’t in their hands or under their control. It can go in a locked safe or box that opens with a key, keypad, or combination, or it can have a lock that keeps it from firing. Until now, that general rule applied only to owners who lived with a child or with someone barred from having guns. The existing rule for a gun left unattended in a vehicle remains: it must be unloaded, locked in a proper container, and kept out of sight. A glove compartment doesn’t count.

Simply failing to lock up a gun is a violation. It becomes a misdemeanor if the owner knew or should have known that a child under 18 or a person barred from guns was likely to get to it, and that person does. People who break the rule receive safe-storage educational materials. The state must also track injuries and deaths of children caused by guns that weren’t safely stored.

The law is named for Francesco, a 17-year-old who died by suicide in 2021 with an unlocked shotgun. His mother, Diana Cochran, and Jennifer Allsop pushed for the change through Francesco’s Foundation. Assemblymember Khaleel Anderson carried the Assembly bill, and then-Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal introduced its 2025 Senate counterpart. Sen. Erik Bottcher sponsored the final Senate version and carried it to passage in 2026. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the law on October 21, 2026, five years after Francesco died.