ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) — Come September, new gun laws signed by Governor Hochul will go into effect. One of those laws includes raising the age to purchase a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21.

Capitol Correspondent, Amal Tlaige spoke with the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association and a gun shop owner who say the application process to obtain these guns is now unclear. 

“Not only do you have to be 21, but you will also have to obtain a permit of which the process to obtain that permit does not exist,” said Craig Serafini, owner of Upstate Guns and Ammo. He says shotguns, rifles and semi-automatic rifles (which includes the AR-15) are all types of long guns.

The previous process to make a long gun purchase said you had to be 18 years or older and pass an FBI background check.

With raising the age from 18 to 21, some gun shop owners say the application process to purchase a semi-automatic may not exist come September. “We have received absolutely zero communication from the state. It’s pretty typical as a dealer. The state leaves it to us to figure it out on our own. You know we are registered as a dealer not only federally, but we also have to have a New York State dealer’s license as well,” said Serafini.

For clarification, I reached out to Lucian Chalfen, Director of Public Information at New York’s Office of Court Administration. In a statement he says, “It is still too soon for us to codify what the new law will mean in practice.” 

Executive Director of NYS Rifle & Pistol Association, Tom King says the Governors new gun laws were ill-planned, “The Governor had no idea what they were going to do, there were no bills, there were no procedures discussed. This was so ill-advised but hey ya know, if you get your nose bent out of shape sometimes you do things stupid,” said King.

On September 6th, a law defining sensitive locations where conceal and carry will not be allowed will also go into effect. These locations include airports, daycare, libraries, and polling sites just to name a few. Additionally, businesses will need to display signage to denote whether guns are welcomed into their establishment.