ALBANY — New signs could soon pop up in local gun shops across New York, if a bill passed by the state legislature is signed into law this year.

In early June, the state Assembly and Senate voted to pass a bill that would require firearms dealers to post conspicuous signs in their stores warning potential customers of the dangers of guns.

“Access to a weapon or firearm in the home significantly increases the risk of suicide, death during domestic disputes, and/or unintentional deaths to children, household members and others,” the warning would read. “If you or a loved one is experiencing distress and/or depression, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.”

The bill would also require that gun sellers provide the same warning printed out in at least 26-point font to all who buy a gun.

Shop owners who don’t post the signs within 90 days of when the bill is signed into law would be subject to a fine of at least $1,000, or 15 days in county jail. Each day a shop goes without posting the sign would be counted as an individual offense. Local police departments would be tasked with enforcing the measure.

Supporters of the bill, including sponsor Sen. Michael Gianaris, D-Queens, say the bill is meant to cut down on instances of gun violence by calling out directly what could happen when someone purchases a firearm, and getting more information about the suicide hotline out to those who may need it.

“Making our communities safe starts with education,” he said in a statement. “Every gun related injury is preventable, and every safety measure we implement can help save a life. New York has one of the lowest firearm mortality rates in the country and it’s because of common sense proposals like this.”

Similar measures to the ones outlined in this bill already exist in Westchester and Albany counties, although only the Westchester law is in effect.

The proponents point to the recent increase in gun ownership across the country. Between January 2019 and April 2021, about 7.5 million Americans purchased their first gun, accounting for 3% of the population, according to the Annals of Internal Medicine, a medical journal published by the American College of Physicians. That journal’s findings are cited in the bill justification memo.

According to researchers at the University of California San Francisco, men are four times more likely to kill themselves with a gun when one is available in their home, and women are three times more likely to be victims of homicide if a weapon is in the home.

One North Country gun shop owner isn’t convinced this bill will do much to address what its supporters say it will.

“This law is not going to do a bit of good,” said Timothy Bowman, owner of Bowman’s Gun Shop in Gouverneur. “Everybody knows what a gun does.”

Bowman, who used to be a corrections officer, said he’s supportive of laws that crack down on people who use guns in crimes or get guns illegally, but this sign law will only reach people who are already following the laws when it comes to weapons in the home.

Bowman said he offers a gun lock every time he sells a new weapon, and even antique muzzle loaded weapons that aren’t subject to federal background checks require a background check under New York law.

“Whoever’s buying a gun is jumping through all the hoops already,” Bowman said.

Bowman said this is another example in a long line of gun regulations proposed in New York that come back on the gun shop owners. He said the roughly year-old requirement to run a background check for each ammo purchase has significantly impacted his business.

“When it started, I had probably three or four thousand dollars worth of ammo behind the counter that people were waiting for a background check to come back on,” he said. “It all takes time, for me to run the checks, check up on the checks, put the ammo aside, put up this new sign, print out these warnings. It’s just time consuming.”

The bill as passed by the state legislature in Albany has not yet been sent to or signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul.