New York effectively prohibits open carry of handguns statewide, and the Concealed Carry Improvement Act treats visible carry the same as concealed carry under license rules.
Penal Law § 400.00 issues only one form of pistol license, which authorizes carry on or about the person. The 2022 CCIA revisions and Penal Law § 265.01-e treat any carry of a handgun, openly or concealed, as restricted to license holders and prohibit it in sensitive locations. Long guns are not generally allowed to be openly carried in public absent a lawful purpose such as hunting on appropriate land. Localities cannot authorize open carry where state law prohibits it.
Carrying a handgun without a license, openly or concealed, is a class E felony; brandishing in public can elevate charges under menacing statutes.
See how New York's open carry rules stack up against other locations.
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