{"data":{"id":"us-ny/n.y.-penal-law-265.51","jurisdiction":"us-ny","citation":"N.Y. Penal Law § 265.51","heading":"Failure to safely store rifles, shotguns, and firearms when accessible by a minor or prohibited person","body":"* § 265.51 Failure to safely store rifles, shotguns, and firearms when\n             accessible by a minor or prohibited person.\n  1. For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have\nthe following meanings:\n  (a) \"prohibited person\" shall mean any person who is prohibited from\npossessing a rifle, shotgun or firearm under state or federal law; and\n  (b) \"minor\" shall mean an individual under eighteen years of age.\n  2. A person is guilty of failure to safely store rifles, shotguns, and\nfirearms accessible to a minor or a prohibited person when:\n  (a) such person stores or otherwise leaves any rifle, shotgun or\nfirearm in violation of section 265.45 of this article in any location\nwhere the owner or custodian of the rifle, shotgun, or firearm knows or\nhas reason to know that a minor or a prohibited person is likely to gain\naccess to such rifle, shotgun or firearm; and\n  (b) a minor or a prohibited person gains access to such rifle, shotgun\nor firearm.\n  3. It shall not be a violation of this section:\n  (a) if the minor or prohibited person obtained the firearm, rifle, or\nshotgun as a result of unlawful entry by any person; or\n  (b) if the minor or prohibited person obtains the firearm, rifle, or\nshotgun in a lawful act of self-defense or defense of another person.\n  4. It shall not be a violation of this section to allow a person less\nthan eighteen years of age access to:\n  (a) a firearm, rifle or shotgun for lawful use as authorized under\nparagraph seven or seven-e of subdivision a of section 265.20 of this\narticle; or\n  (b) a rifle or shotgun for lawful use as authorized by article eleven\nof the environmental conservation law when such person less than\neighteen years of age is the holder of a hunting license or permit and\nsuch rifle or shotgun is used in accordance with such law.\n  Failure to safely store rifles, shotguns, and firearms when accessible\nby a minor or prohibited person is a class A misdemeanor.\n  * NB Effective January 19, 2027","path":["Penal Law","Part 3. Specific Offenses","Title P. Offenses Against Public Safety","Article 265. Firearms and Other Dangerous Weapons"],"source_url":"https://legislation.nysenate.gov/api/3/laws/PEN/265.51","current_through":"2026-10-30","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-10-31T05:52:25Z","sha256":"1281e897bf6ca3a711966af02eb6fae1fab24e3e3055606c64347bb773ddfce3","source_id":"us-ny","stale":false,"prev":"us-ny/n.y.-penal-law-265.50","next":"us-ny/n.y.-penal-law-265.55"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}