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Safety on Transit

Monday’s Headlines: Gun Control in the Subway Edition

The big news yesterday was that Gov. Hochul disarmed the National Guard of its long assault weapons. But there was other news.

Photo: National Guard|

National Guard personnel are now in the subways checking bags.

The big news yesterday was that Gov. Hochul disarmed the National Guard of its long assault weapons when they're doing bag checks in a handful of subway stations.

All the papers — NYDN, NY Post, NY Times, amNY, Gothamist — covered the news, and Gothamist also did a Q&A with a policing expert about what we can and can't expect from all this searching of bags.

Before the news of the long-gun ban, Crain's editorialized against the deployment anyway. And the Guardian asked how this could even be legal (it is, mostly because you can refuse, as the Times pointed out in its explainer last week).

Nobody really thinks opening a tiny number of bags at a tiny number of stations is going to do any good, as Hell Gate reported. That outlet's headline on it's story last week on Hochul's announcement said everything you need to know: "Hochul Is Sending the National Guard Into the Subway to Search Your Bag Because of Vibes."

In other news:

  • It's going to be very windy today. (Gothamist)
  • Streetsblog contributor Charles Komanoff called out the Transit Workers Union for its waning support for congestion pricing:
  • Patch did a good job with a first pass on the trucking company whose dump truck has now been connected to two fatal crashes since October. We're digging deeper and will have more soon.
  • The Adams administration wants to rezone part of Midtown to spur residential development. (Crain's)
  • The NYPD is still spooning puff pieces to amNY.
  • Newsday woke up to the danger of SUVs.
  • Cops made a speedy arrest in last week's hit-and-run on Canal Street. (NYDN)
  • It's not you — there does seem to be more dogs on the subway lately. (Gothamist)
  • And, finally, it's great to hear a governor — a Republican, no less! — talking like North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum does in this clip. It's like he's auditioning to replace Naparstek on "The War on Cars."

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