Staff Reports
Gun owners across America have a powerful new ally in the fight against overreach with the filing of Goldberger v. James, a federal lawsuit challenging New York’s tyrannical ban on concealed carry in Times Square. Spearheaded by New York City resident Yehuda Goldberger and the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), the suit targets Attorney General Letitia James, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg for enforcing this “sensitive location” restriction that turns law-abiding permit holders into felons just for walking public streets. Filed March 20, 2026, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, it demands a permanent injunction to strike down what plaintiffs call a blatant Second Amendment violation.
This assault on rights stems directly from New York’s desperate scramble after the Supreme Court’s landmark Bruen decision in 2022, which crushed the state’s “may-issue” permitting scheme and demanded gun laws align with our nation’s historical traditions. Desperate to cling to control, Albany shoehorned Times Square—a massive open-air tourist hub with no security checkpoints—into its gun-free zone list under the Concealed Carry Improvement Act, ignoring Bruen’s clear warning against blanket bans in crowded public areas policed generally by officers. Such arbitrary designations mock the Constitution, disarming citizens where self-defense needs are greatest amid urban crime waves.
No Founding-era precedent supports banning arms on open sidewalks like those in Times Square; historical limits applied only to jails, legislatures, or courthouses with dedicated guards—not bustling commercial districts. Criminals ignore these edicts, leaving only the innocent vulnerable to assaults, muggings, and worse, while facing jail time and permanent firearm forfeiture for compliance with their permits. FPC President Brandon Combs rightly blasts this as tyranny from “anti-rights” officials like James, who prioritize politics over people’s safety and freedoms.
A victory here could shatter similar “sensitive place” schemes nationwide, from subways to parks, restoring the right to bear arms in public as the Framers intended. Courts have already signaled skepticism, rejecting Manhattan as a no-carry zone simply for being “crowded,” and this case amplifies that logic against New York’s endless end-runs around Bruen. It exposes the left’s playbook: invent zones to nullify Supreme Court wins, emboldening chaos where only armed citizens can deter predators.
As this battle rages, patriots must rally behind Goldberger and FPC, amplifying their stand against elite disarmament agendas that erode our core liberties. President Trump’s judicial legacy through Bruen arms this fight, promising momentum to reclaim streets for the law-abiding. The stakes demand vigilance—America’s sovereignty over self-defense hangs in the balance, and surrender is not an option.
