I read the midnight law passed by NY legislature and it appears they back-dated it to 1 January, though it was passed around the 18th. (I’m not a lawyer)
My reading is woe unto the purchaser of a banned gun between 1st and 18th or so January - you are now a potential felon.
If a New Yorker bought one of these weapons of mass destruction, and waited the multi-day period, and took possession of said gun, they are now a potential felon.
A Latin term that might be applied is ‘ex post facto’. Turns out that these buyers broke the law before there even was a law. Go figure.
The other notable item in this hastily passed law is that there is no exemption for LEOs or military. That means that virtually every NY Guardsman or military member will soon become a felon because they have AR magazines as part of their required kit.
Wait until a cop pulls over a PFC at Ft. Drum with a Government issued AR mag. He’s a lawbreaker now.
Speaking of lawbreakers, under this law as written, every cop who has a standard magazine in their service pistol is also subject to arrest. God forbid he has an AR in his patrol car.
Heh heh. Can New Yorkers now make a citizen’s arrest on every cop not carrying a revolver? Not until July or so.
Then it is an Ex Post Facto law, specifically prohibited to the States in the unamended [federal] Constitution; this is in addition to being violative of the Second Amendment.
I should like to see some trifecta action here 18 USC 241, 18 USC 242, 42 USC 1983 levied against both the implementers (PD, DA, Judges upholding the invalid law, individual officers) and the specifiers (those passing the bill: legislature & governor).