Posted on 01/08/2013 3:21:27 PM PST by library user
YONKERS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — A deal to give New York one of the toughest gun control laws in the nation is being negotiated by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who, sources said Tuesday, is hoping to announce the plan Wednesday during his State of the State speech in Albany.
Cuomo hopes to jump-start the 2013 legislative session with a big deal that could dramatically alter gun control laws across the state.
Highly placed sources told CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer that Cuomo is negotiating with Assembly and Senate leaders for a package of gun control laws that would be a dramatic response to the gun violence besetting the nation, including the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
“It’s a very divisive topic,” Cuomo said on Wednesday. “There’s a lot of energy on both sides. Some people are vehemently against’ some people think we’re out of our minds for not passing it.”
Sources told Kramer the governor and lawmakers are negotiating furiously in the hope that Cuomo can announce a deal during his speech Thursday.
Sources said the package is expected to include:
* New restrictions on assault weapons
* Stiffer penalties for using a gun to commit a crime
* New limits on the number of bullets in a gun magazine
“Gun control is highly political, politically contentious situation. It is polarizing,” Cuomo said.
In Westchester County, where Mamaroneck’s Hommocks Middle School was under lockdown last week amid reports a gunman tried to enter the school, the need for gun control is on the minds of many.
“There’s just too many incidents that are happening that you think could be avoided if there were stronger regulations about it,” one mother from Larchmont said, adding when asked if her children’s safety is her motivation, “Absolutely, I mean you can’t even send them to school now. Now my kids have police in front of their school. I mean you wonder how far it’s going to go.”
“I think it’s necessary with everything that’s happening,” Mamaroneck resident Gail Nubile added. “With the recent things that have been going on it does make you think that things to be happening, so you have to be extra cautious.”
Cuomo’s move comes as Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Gun Violence released a new commercial to push for federal action. It features the mother of Christina Taylor-Green, who was killed two years ago Tuesday in the Tucson, Ariz., massacre.
“How many more children must die before Washington does something to end our gun violence problem?” the ad says.
It would be quite a coup for Cuomo, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, to show progress on gun control while Washington dithers.
Cuomo Close To Announcing Sweeping New Speech Control Laws
bttt
IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED
Governor Cuomo Close To Deal On Sweeping Gun Control
Contact Your Legislators Today and Urge Them to Oppose This Plan
The backroom deals and meetings continue in Albany with little to no input from the law-abiding firearms owners, businesses, and manufacturers that proudly call New York home. Instead of focusing on the criminal misuse of firearms, Governor Cuomo is exploiting tragedies to strip away your Second Amendment rights. Senate Republicans and Democrats seem to be supportive of these new restrictions which will include a complete ban on all modern sporting rifles, and reducing magazine capacity arbitrarily from 10 rounds to 7, what is next 4 rounds? This restriction will impact almost 80 percent of semi-automatic handguns in New York. The magazine restriction will leave many New Yorkers unable to defend themselves and their family since most manufacturers do not make 7 round magazines. In newspapers throughout New York both sides say the deal is imminent and could come as quickly as Monday.
Here are some of the issues contained in the package being negotiated between Governor Cuomo, Co-Leader Dean Skelos, and Speaker Sheldon Silver:
1. An outright ban on ALL modern sporting rifles. Governor Cuomo even suggested confiscating legally owned firearms!
2. Outlawing all semiautomatic hunting shotguns with a pistol grip.
3. Further restricting your ability to defend yourself and family by arbitrarily restricting the magazine size. New York already restricts magazine capacity 10 rounds and seeks to furthur reduce magazine capacity to 7 rounds.
4. Limiting how much ammunition you can purchase AND possess.
5. Registration of all ammunition purchases.
6. Statewide New York City style gun registration; knowing full well criminals won't ever register their guns.
7. Re-registration and permit renewal every 5 years with ever increasing fees.
8. Mandatory gun storage laws, like the one the US Supreme Court struck down in the Heller decision.
Co-Leader Skelos is quoted in newspapers today saying that Republicans favor “limiting high-capacity firearm magazines.”
You must act immediately and call Governor Cuomo, your state senator and your assembly member to demand they respect your Second Amendment rights and not support legislation that burdens and harasses you the law abiding gun owner.
Tell them to instead focus on the criminals who are the problem.
Find your elected officials here.
Call your representatives. They are meeting behind closed doors and it doesn’t sound like they are going to abide by the three day rule for posting a bill before voting on it!
http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/
This wouldn’t have stopped the shooting of the 4 fire fighters in upstate. It wouldn’t have stopped the shooting of 9 bystanders at the Empire State Building, because they were all shot by police.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.