Appeals court keeps New York’s gun restrictions in place, including Times Square and subway ban

NEW YORK (AP) — No guns for Elmo, Spider-Man or anyone else in New York’s Times Square — and don’t try sneaking them into the subway, either.

That is the decision Friday from a federal appeals court effectively upholding a New York state law that bars firearms in “sensitive” locations, including the tourist mecca known as “the crossroads of the world," the New York City subway system and commuter trains.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court judge’s 2023 ruling that let the state law remain in effect after several gun owners filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of some restrictions. An appeals court ruling last year has allowed other parts of the law to remain in effect.

The plaintiffs, Jason and Brianna Frey and William Sappe, had sought a preliminar