A poll published last week highlights the sharp divide between what New Yorkers want and what advocates demand. The survey found that 75 percent of New York voters support banning face-masking as a disguise to terrorize, hurt people, and commit crimes.
Two such bans, one Democratic and one Republican, are making their way through the state legislature—something Governor Kathy Hochul neglected to mention in her recent State of the State address. Nonetheless, opponents of New York’s ban insist that such laws offer no public-safety benefits, and that they will prevent ordinary citizens from masking for health. These arguments are not only wrong; as the recent poll shows, they’re also out of step.
