What’s available in ny rifle wise .

Need a few guns to show him .

Scr, ruger , mini ?, m1 , etc ....

Best to start with a .22 ( even in the current panic ammo is around and still reasonably affordable) low noise and recoil. Many bolt actions that are very good for low cost ( my savage mark II at under $250 holds MOA to 100+ yards with match grade ammo)
Also for just introductory plinking the Ruger 10/22 ( lots of N.Y. compliant versions.)
Also don’t overlook the lowly savage 64. Can often be found for about $125 and shoot rather well. ( not as refined and don’t have the cottage industry of aftermarket support the Ruger does but often shoot as well or better)

If you want to look into centerfire guns, lots of manually operated options bolt/lever.
For centerfire semi, I am a huge fan of the M1 garand. ( fully safe act compliant ) a piece of history and a heavy hitter. For many that first ping when the empty clip ejects equals love. If I still lived in NY ( happy to have left but feel for those still stuck there) I would have had shuff’s make me a mini g in 308.
For pistol caliber carbines the Ruger is easily the way to go. ( hard to find even before the panic in the compliant version)