Is Leaving A Gun In Your Vehicle Illegal In New York?

New York State Police are reminding residents to keep your unattended vehicles locked at all times. This is a policy you should enforce year-round but it's even more crucial during the holidays.

New York State Troopers indicate that criminals tend to look for unlocked vehicles and once they find one they will take just about anything. Those shopping bags filled with gifts, your laptop, a purse, all gone. And don't even think of leaving your gun in your vehicle. That is now ILLEGAL in New York State.

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Never leave valuables in your car. It is tempting to think "I'll just run in the store. I'll only be gone 10 minutes.". That is more than enough time for a criminal to steal your belongings and if they take your gun YOU could be facing charges.

According to New York State Penal Law 265.45, ALL firearms out of your immediate control and/or possession should be unloaded and stored in a safe storage depository that is fire, impact and tamper resistant. This storage shall require a key, keypad or other mechanism to access it. that is fire, impact, and tamper resistant

Photo by Dmitry Nucky Thompson on Unsplash

Please be a responsible gun owner and never leave a firearm in an unattended vehicle. It is now a crime in New York to leave a firearm in a vehicle and could result in misdemeanor charges of $1,000 and up to 1-year in jail.

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