Triumph for Liberty: New York Banned from Snooping on Social Media for Concealed Carry Permits

In a landmark victory for the Second Amendment and personal privacy, the Gun Owners Foundation (GOF)has secured a permanent injunction against New York’s invasive requirement that concealed carry permit applicants disclose their social media accounts. This development marks a decisive blow against one of the most overreaching provisions of the state’s post-Bruen gun control law. For the first time, New York’s sprawling bureaucracy is legally barred from demanding access to citizens’ online lives simply because they seek to exercise their constitutional right to bear arms.   

The case, Antonyuk v. James (formerly Antonyuk v. Hochul), filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, challenged multiple facets of the Concealed Carry Improvement Act (CCIA). Passed in 2022 as a defiant response to the Supreme Court’s landmark New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen decision, the CCIA was New York’s attempt to reimpose restrictions after the high court struck down the state’s “proper cause” requirement for carry permits. Among its most egregious elements, applicants were mandated to provide a list of all personal social media accounts from the past three years. Once submitted, licensing officers were empowered to scour posts, likes, and comments to determine “good moral character,” clearly a vague standard ripe for abuse.   

This wasn’t background checking; it was government surveillance disguised as permitting. Imagine submitting your entire digital footprint; Facebook rants, Twitter debates, and Instagram photos to unelected officials who could deny your permit based on politics, humor, or associations they disliked. It silenced free speech under the First Amendment while also infringing on the Second. Gun rights advocates, including GOF and Gun Owners of America, aptly called it unconstitutional overreach.   

The fight was long and hard-fought. In late 2022, federal Judge Glenn T. Suddaby issued a temporary restraining order blocking key parts of the CCIA, including the social media mandate. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals later affirmed injunctions against these provisions in 2023, recognizing the clear constitutional violations. But of course, New York dragged its feet, refusing to fully relent until this week.On March 16, 2026, the state capitulated to a partial settlement, agreeing to a permanent injunction specifically protecting plaintiff Lawrence Sloane, and, crucially, mandating changes to the statewide PPB-3 license application form.   

Court documents filed in the case spell it out plainly. The United States District Court for the Northern District of New York ordered that New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James and other officials “shall be permanently enjoined from enforcing the CCIA’s requirement for production of social media information in connection with an application for a concealed carry permit. Additionally, the order was given to remove any mention of social media from carry permit applications.   

This win isn’t just technical legalese; it’s a celebration of American resilience. For years, anti-Second Amendment forces across New York have treated lawful gun owners like suspects. Governor Kathy Hochul and her minions framed the CCIA as “common-sense” reform after the Bruen ruling exposed New York’s may-issue system as unconstitutional. But stripping applicants of privacy wasn’t reform, it was retaliation; punishment for gun owners because New York lost the Bruen case.   

The late Executive Director of Gun Owners Foundation Sam Paredes and the legal team involved in this lawsuit deserve thunderous applause. Their relentless litigation, backed by plaintiffs willing to put their names on the line, forced the state into this concession. GOF has been at the forefront of post-Bruen battles across the country, filing suits in multiple states to dismantle similar infringements. This permanent injunction builds on earlier victories, including blocks on sensitive-place restrictions and non-resident permit barriers. It proves that strategic, principled advocacy works. When gun owners unite and litigate with precision, even the most entrenched anti-gun regimes blink.   

Broader implications ripple outward. Other states eyeing similar social media mandates for gun permits now face a clear warning: courts won’t tolerate it. This precedent strengthens challenges nationwide, from California’s overzealous checks to Illinois’ red-flag experiments. It reminds policymakers that Bruen wasn’t a suggestion; it was a mandate to respect shall-issue permitting rooted in history and tradition. New York’s partial retreat signals weakness in the gun-control lobby. They overreached; now they’re paying the price.   

Every inch of ground reclaimed from infringement matters. The Second Amendment isn’t a second-class right. It protects the ultimate civil liberty: self-defense. Pair it with the First Amendment’s shield against compelled speech and privacy invasion, and you have the bedrock of a free society. As permanent injunction takes effect, New Yorkers can breathe easier knowing their social media stays theirs. No more government gatekeepers scrolling through timelines to judge “moral character.” This is what constitutional victory looks like.

Editor’s Note: Second Amendment groups across the country are making great strides in protecting our right to keep and bear arms and right to self-defense. 

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