Though both New York City and the state of New York have spent the past two years fighting to limit the impact of the Bruen decision by imposing new and expensive training mandates and creating a host of new “sensitive places” where lawful concealed carry is banned, there is a growing culture of lawful gun ownership that’s starting to take root. 

Staten Island, New York, for example, has been without a gun shop for at least two decades. But now, thanks to a pair of entrepreneurs, residents who want to exercise their Second Amendment rights can get some help close to home. Vincent Orlando and Bradley Hecker opened the doors to Tactical Beards Gun Shop just a few days ago, and business is already booming. 

The store is still in its soft-opening phase, but the owners said that the community response has been overwhelming: Customers have been lined up outside of the establishment daily, sometimes dozens deep, to browse the offerings. And the official grand opening isn’t until Nov. 10.

That’s pretty amazing, though I wonder how many of those potential customers are actually able to buy a gun at the moment. In New York City, permits are required just to keep a firearm in the home, and obtaining a Second Amendment permissions slip is a time-consuming and costly process. While the NYPD is supposed to process permits within six months, some folks have seen delays lasting a year or more. 

Despite the maze of red tape that prospective gun owners have to navigate, the owners of Tactical Beards Gun Shop believe demand is high enough to make their business a success. 

“Here in New York, we’re experiencing a new era in firearm rights,” Orlando noted, detailing a 2022 Supreme Court decision that reversed a century-old law which prohibited a citizen’s concealed carry rights. “For the first time in a long time, residents can carry a concealed weapon on their person. And I think members of the community need to recognize the weight of that right and understand the responsibilities that go along with it.”

The Bruen decision truly did usher in a new era for the Second Amendment in states like New York, California, and New Jersey, even if officials are still trying to limit or blunt its impact. Before 2022, the NYPD could and did routinely deny carry permits to average,everyday citizens while granting permits to celebrities and the well-connected. The NYPD Licensing Bureau was also rocked by a pay-to-play scandal when it was revealed that some officers in the bureau were expediting permits in exchange for cash and prizes.

“They allegedly got more audacious as time went on,” said acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim.

Former Lieutenant Paul Dean, once the number two officer in the division, and former officer Robert Espinel allegedly accepted food, alcohol, parties, strippers and even prostuitutes in return for expediting permits. 

Former Brooklyn prosecutor John Chambers, who ran a licensing-expediting business, allegedly handed out tickets to Broadway and sporting events, and an $8,000 watch. He, too, was arrested Tuesday along with the owner of a gun shop in Queens, officer-turned-expediter Gaetano Valestro.

Prosecutors also disclosed that two other former officers in the licensing division previously pleaded guility and are cooperating. Both allegedly accepted lavish trips to places like Mexico and Hawaii.

Court papers allege that after taking bribes on the inside, Dean and Espinal decided to be corrupt expediters themselves.

“I’m done watching people make money off of my back,” Dean allegedly said.

“They saw that expediters were making more money than they were, sometimes over $10,000 for each license,” Kim said.

New York’s “may issue” system created an entire industry built around access to the almost impossible to get concealed carry permits. Though the NYPD Licensing Bureau is still taking far too long to process and approve carry permits, it appears the corrupt practices that were commonplace just a couple of years ago have disappeared. 

Both the state of New York and NYC have a long way to go before the Second Amendment is truly secured, but we’re making progress; enough that entrepreneurs like Orlando and Hecker believe there’s a big enough customer base on Staten Island to support a retail gun shop. The success they’ve seen since their soft launch a few days ago is a very good sign, and with 2A advocates continuing to challenge the post-Bruen infringements on our right to keep and bear arms the future of Tactical Beards looks pretty bright.