Penal Law § 265.55

Criminal possession of an undetectable firearm, rifle or shotgun · as in force on May 31, 2026

§ 265.55 Criminal possession of an undetectable firearm, rifle or

shotgun.

A person is guilty of criminal possession of an undetectable firearm, rifle or shotgun when he or she knowingly possesses:

1. any firearm, rifle or shotgun that, after the removal of grips, stocks and magazines, is not detectable by a metal detector calibrated to detect the Security Exemplar, as defined pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 922(p); or

2. any major component of a firearm, rifle or shotgun that, if subject to the types of detection devices commonly used at airports for security screening, does not generate an image that adequately displays the shape of the component.

Criminal possession of an undetectable firearm, rifle or shotgun is a class E felony.

Official sourcehttps://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/PEN/265.55

In plain English

A person commits this offense by knowingly possessing:

(1) A firearm, rifle, or shotgun that, after grips, stocks, and magazines are removed, cannot be detected by a metal detector calibrated for the Security Exemplar under 18 U.S.C. § 922(p); or
(2) A major weapon component that airport-type security imaging cannot display in an adequately shaped image.

The offense is a class E felony. ★

Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.

In print

This provision appears in Volume 4 — The Court Clerk: Penal Law; Volume 1 — The Court Officer in Plain English; Volume 3 — The Court Officer: Penal Law; Volume 3 — Your Career: Penal Law in Plain English.