Fact Check: Did Zohran Mamdani announce open carry would become legal in New York City?

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A viral claim has been circulating on social media that the Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, has announced that open carry will become legal in the city. Although he didn't announce when, the rumor has sparked speculations among social media users about the authenticity of the claim. Let us fact-check it.

Claim: Zohran Mamdani announces open carry will become legal

The claim surfaced on Thursday, January 22, on the social media platform X, which came with a photo of Mamdani, accompanied by a caption that read, 'Mayor Zohran Mamdani announces open carry will become legal in New York City.'

The post has gone viral with almost 4 million views as of writing this article, and generated 18000 likes and hundreds of reposts. 

While some comments under the post indicate that people believe this to be true, others express scepticism about its authenticity. 

The claim has spread on other social media platforms, including Facebook. 

Fact Check: The claim is a satire

The claim, however, is false, as it was posted by a parody account called Hoops Crave for entertainment purposes. The page’s bio even states, 'parody account not affiliated with @PopCrave.'

Also, no credible news media outlets have reported on the claim that open carry would become legal in the city, and it would have made headlines if it were true. 

A fact check by Grok, the AI assistant of X, even debunked the claim, writing, “After checking multiple sources, including news outlets, official NYC announcements, and Mayor Mamdani's X account, there's no evidence of him announcing open carry becoming legal in NYC."

"The original post is from a self-described parody account, and gun laws are primarily state-regulated in NY. This claim seems unfounded.”Zohran Mamdani's focus on reducing gun violence

Mamdani’s public stances and recent actions focus on reducing gun violence through prevention and stricter measures, not expanding carry rights.

“We are reminded—no matter how strong our gun laws are in this state—we are only as safe as the weakest laws in this nation,” Mamdani claimed throughout his mayoral campaign. He even had it posted on his X account.

Mamdani supported laws that required gun dealers to display safety warnings.

He voted to require handgun permit applicants to submit their social media history for review and backed strict limits on how gun manufacturers could advertise their products. 

He also voted to expand New York’s red-flag law and supported a ban on civilian ownership of modern body armor.