People v. Williams

OPINION OF THE COURT

Wallach, J.

Scarcely a day goes by in New York City without a handgun shooting where an innocent bystander, all too often a child, is either maimed or killed. Aware of this tragic menace, the State Legislature has enacted a statute requiring mandatory incarceration for those who carry unlicensed, loaded handguns outside their home or place of business. As Governor Carey explained in signing the bill: "We must bring an end to the proliferation of illegal handguns in New York and the intolerable assaults on law enforcement officers and law-abiding citizens. We must let it be…