This week marks the one-year anniversary of the notorious SAFE Act. A year ago this week, Governor Andrew Cuomo and anti-gun lawmakers in Albany enacted the worst anti-gun law in New York history. Cuomo conspired with legislative leaders to bypass the normal legislative process by quickly passing a bill in the dark of night with no public input. This legislation took less than 24 hours to be printed and then become law, and now the rampant problems with its implementation are an embarrassing testament to that deeply flawed and misguided process.
This law has shown that it is wholly ineffective at reducing violent crime in the Empire State. It has been a huge embarrassment following a recent court decision where many provisions in the law were flagged. The SAFE Act has done nothing but attempt to make criminals out of otherwise law-abiding gun owners.
Virtually every upstate county legislature passed a resolution in 2013 condemning the SAFE Act. The major features of this law have either been unworkable or struck down by the courts. On New Year’s Eve, a federal district judge invalidated the arbitrary seven-round magazine limit. Another detrimental component was the mandatory background checks to be imposed on ammunition sales. These background checks were initially set to take effect now; however, that portion of the law has been suspended because it is unworkable, and the New York State Police has no means of implementing it.
Due to the fallout from this ill-conceived attack on gun owners and the damaging effects it has had on the state’s fragile economy, some gun companies are already packing their bags to leave New York for friendlier states. Along with them, the gun companies are taking jobs and tax revenues from the state. Others are considering relocation.
Although the federal district court in Buffalo ruled against the magazine limit, it upheld the semi-auto “assault weapon” ban. It is very likely that both sides will appeal this decision, so please continue to follow NRA-ILA alerts for the latest developments. With the New York Legislature having convened earlier this month, the NRA will continue to support complete repeal of this ineffective “law” in Albany. We will also continue to support the litigation lead by our state affiliate, the New York Rifle and Pistol Association, to overturn this draconian law. Finally, this November, we will work hard to elect more freedom-loving, pro-Second Amendment candidates in New York. Your NRA-ILA will continue to keep you updated when more information is available.
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