Legislation introduced this week by state Sen. George Borrello would allow judges who are licensed pistol permit holders to carry their weapons in their courtrooms.

The bill (S.7633) has been referred to the Senate’s Rules Committee. It won’t be considered, if at all, until the state Legislature’s next sesson begins in January. Judges had been allowed to carry weapons in court before the state Legislature passed the Conceal Carry Improvement Act in June 2022, while Borrello noted some judges have raised concerns about the amount of time it would take police to respond in some rural areas that don’t have court security officers or metal detectors.

“In many rural communities, there is no court security and the response time if law enforcement is called is significant,” Borrello wrote in his legislative justification. “This law would enable the presiding judge to defend themselves and others, preventing the potential violent disruption of court proceedings.”

Courts are considered a sensitive location under the state’s new gun laws written in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the state’s old system for granting permits to carry handguns outside the home. The ruling said that Americans have a right to carry firearms in public for self-defense, invalidating the New York law, which required people to show a specific need to get a license to carry a gun outside the home.

The state Legislature’s response broadly expanded who can get a license to carry a handgun, but it increased training requirements for applicants and required people seeking a license to provide more information including a list of their social media accounts. Applicants for a license must also demonstrate “good moral character.” Beyond that, the law included a long list of “sensitive places” where firearms are banned, among them: schools, playgrounds, places of worship, entertainment venues, places that serve alcohol and Times Square.

Several court cases have been filed in the wake of the June 2022 gun laws passage seeking to remove some sites from the list of sensitive places, provisions that require applicants for a concealed carry license to show good moral character and over handing over information from concealed carry license applicants’ social media accounts.

Companion legislation has been introduced by Assemblyman Joe Giglio, R-Gowanda.

“I introduced this bill in the Assembly in response to public requests to give rural judges the ability to protect themselves and those in their courtrooms,” Giglio said. “This legislation provides an exemption which allows only those judges and justices with valid New York State pistol permits to carry firearms in courtrooms. Many of these courtrooms are in remote towns with no municipal police forces and with often-lengthy law enforcement response times.”