Next Wednesday, the New York Assembly and Senate will convene for the 2013 legislative session. Anti-gun Governor Andrew Cuomo has expressed his desire to make gun control a top legislative agenda item. Gun owners should pay particular attention to his State of the State address next week. Your NRA-ILA has been closely monitoring and preparing to fight these extreme and senseless restrictions on the Second Amendment rights of New Yorkers. These proposals do nothing except criminalize law-abiding gun owners, target shooters and hunters, and do nothing to prevent crime or impact public safety.
Anti-gun politicians, jumping at the opportunity to exploit tragedy to further a political agenda that has no public benefit, are going for it all. Cuomo’s public comments have gone so far as to suggest confiscation of your LEGALLY OWNED property as an option. New York currently has some of the toughest gun control laws in the country. Instead of focusing on new solutions to actual problems, anti-gun lawmakers are simply recycling the same old failed gun control policies of the past. Such policies have had no effect on public safety. In fact, an example of this is the state eliminating its costly and ineffective ballistic imaging database, CoBis, just last session.
Several bills have already been pre-filed for the 2013 legislative session. One bill of particular concern has been introduced by Senator Ruben Diaz (D-32), Senate Bill 1422, which expands New York’s “assault-weapons” ban. This overly-broad language of the bill includes ALL semi-automatic firearms which accept a detachable magazine. Further, it would remove provisions allowing for grandfathered guns to be lawfully owned.
New York currently has a ten-round magazine limit, and state lawmakers and the governor are discussing taking that restriction even lower. In addition, the conversation has included more draconian registration requirements for all firearms. The slate of gun control bills this session is expected to be long. The NRA-ILA will be focused and engaged in Albany, but we need YOUR help today. Every gun owner in New York is at risk of being branded a criminal should these terrible bill proposals become law. Anti-gun forces are going to move swiftly and your urgent assistance is needed. Please contact your Assemblyman, Senator and the Governor TODAY and respectfully urge them to end this onslaught against lawful gun owners.
You may contact the Governor’s office by phone (518) 474-8390 or by clicking here.
Contact information for your state legislators can be found by clicking here.