Update on Pending Firearm Legislation in the Empire State

On Tuesday, June 24, the 2008 New York State Legislative Session closed with the following anti-gun bills failing to pass in the State Senate.

Assembly Bill 6525A, sponsored by State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D-88), would have created new sales and reporting requirements for licensed firearms dealers and would have required dealers to carry a minimum of $1,000,000 of liability insurance. 

Assembly Bill 9819A, authored by State Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel (D-16), would have banned the sale of semi-automatic handguns not equipped with so-called "micro-stamping" technology. The bill requires all semiautomatic pistols sold in the state to stamp an array of characters that identify the make, model, and serial number of the pistol on the firing pin, which would copy the characters onto the cartridge case upon firing.  

Assembly Bill 7331, sponsored by State Assemblyman Matthew Titone (D-61), would have expanded the ban on semi-automatic “assault weapons,” as well as requiring the ballistic “fingerprinting”(registration) of all semi-automatic “assault weapons” owned prior to a specified date. 

Assembly Bill 3451, introduced by State Assemblyman David Koon (D-135), sought to expand New York’s failed ballistic imaging program. 

Assembly Bill 2772, authored by State Assemblywoman Patricia Eddington (D-3), would have banned the sale, use or possession of any rifle with a bore diameter .50 caliber or larger.  This bill would have required gun owners in possession of these firearms to surrender them to law enforcement. 

Assembly Bill 829, sponsored by State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-4), sought to prohibit the sale of any handgun that doesn’t contain a childproofing device or mechanism incorporated into the design of the handgun.

Assembly Bill 76, sponsored by State Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-20), sought the required mandatory storage of all firearms.

Assembly Bill 3447, introduced by State Assemblyman David Koon (D-135), would have banned the sale or possession of frangible ammunition.

It was crucial that all of these measures were voted down in order to protect the Second Amendment rights of all gun-owners in New York State.

Unfortunately, one very important piece of pro-gun and pro-hunting legislation failed to pass before the State Legislature adjourned. Although the New York State Senate passed Senate Bill 1284 in the final days of session, it failed to pass in the State Assembly.  S1284A would have created a youth hunting mentor program, allowing individuals ages 14 and older to hunt with a licensed mentor, age 21 or older.

It is very likely that the New York State Legislature will go into a Special Session sometime this summer and we ask that our members please continue visiting www.NRAILA.org and checking your e-mail for updates, as this Special Session will likely bring up several pieces of firearm related legislation and these bills could possibly be resurrected.