On September 15, 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill (S4879) allowing Westchester County to change its handgun and semi-automatic rifle licensing fees. Now, the Westchester Board of Legislators is on the verge of drastically increasing its fees for residents of the New York City Suburb.

Westchester County is in the Hudson Valley north of New York City. Sometimes called the “sixth borough,” the county was once a Republican stronghold in the Empire State. Now, it is rapidly moving to the left. Since 2019, the number of Democrats in the county has increased by 15,000, while during the same period, Westchester County lost 7,000 registered Republican voters. The change was spurred by longtime county residents heading south to states like Florida and new young left-leaning professionals moving in to take their place.

Currently, the fee for an application or renewal for a pistol or semi-automatic rifle license is $10. Westchester County is looking to raise the cost of the license to a mind-boggling $175, which could be more than the price of the firearm. The proposed fee to amend a restriction on a license will increase from $3 to $125. Any other amendments will go up from $3 to $25. These increases have gun owners in the county up in arms.

Westchester says the increase will pay the salaries of various county employees. Critics of the proposed changes say the county’s current budget already covers the wages for these workers. They point out that no other county fees are increasing, just pistol and semi-automatic rifle license fees. They alleged that the new fees are nothing more than a “poll tax” on the constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms.

Only two legislators, Margaret Cunzio (C) and James Nolan (R), have vowed to vote “no” on the proposal. The other 15 have not stated how they will vote, but the remaining legislators are all Democrats. It will take a massive turnout by the gun owners of Westchester County opposing the licensing fee increases to have any hope of swaying the remaining Democrat legislators.

Firearms licensing schemes have been attacked in courts across the country. Multiple gun rights groups have filed lawsuits in federal court. Some courts have ruled these licensing schemes unconstitutional, but others have cited “Footnote 9” to rule that these challenged licensing schemes are constitutional. “Footnote 9” of the Bruen decision stated that not all concealed carry permitting schemes are unconstitutional. Some courts have expanded that footnote to licensing schemes for pistol purchase permits.

Westchester County doesn’t seem too concerned about a possible legal challenge. The law was explicitly changed to allow Westchester County to increase its licensing fees. These new fees will hurt the poor and middle class the most since money is tight in the current economic conditions. Some residents will have to choose between the ability to defend themselves and their loved ones and putting food on the table.

There will be a public hearing on the new licensing fee increase on September 30 at 9:30 P.M. The meeting itself will kick off at 7:00 P.M. Anyone who wishes to speak at the meeting must show up before the start time of the general meeting to sign up. It will be held at the Board of Legislators, 8th Floor, Michalian Office Building,148 Martine Avenue, White Plains, NY. A Westchester County resident can also email their legislator and ask them to vote “no” on the proposal.

All legislators can be found here.

About John Crump

Mr. Crump is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people from all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons, follow him on X at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.