New York: Albany County Considering Ammunition Registration Law!

Local Law “A”, a proposal that would regulate the purchase of ammunition in Albany County, was introduced by Albany County legislators Phillip Steck (D), Douglas Bullock (D) and Wanda Willingham (D), and is pending consideration in the Law Committee of the Albany County Legislature. 

Local Law “A” would require a valid firearms license be shown when purchasing ammunition.  The law would also mandate that retailers keep a record of all ammunition sales, including the type, caliber, and quantity of the ammunition, the make, model and serial number of the firearm it is for, as well as the purchaser’s name and address. 

As if that is not enough, Local Law “A” would also create a secondary method of gun registration for both long guns and handguns.  Congress has experimented with ammunition registration in the past, only to discover that it was not only ineffective for law enforcement, but completely unmanageable due to the sheer volume of transactions.  Ammunition registration creates huge record keeping requirements and provides no useful benefits for law enforcement. That’s why it was repealed at the federal level by the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986. 

At the request of the Law Committee, County Attorney Craig Denning recently ruled that Local Law “A” is constitutional.  Now it will be brought up again in the Law Committee.  A public hearing is set for 7:15 p.m,. on Tuesday, May 26, at the County Legislature Chamber in the Albany County Courthouse.

Please attend the public hearing and respectfully voice your opposition to Local Law “A.” Also, please contact the members of the Law Committee and the County Legislators TODAY and voice your opposition to Local Law “A.”  Contact information for the members of the Law Committee can be found below.  County Legislators can be reached by phone at (518) 447-7168 or fax (518) 447-5695.  For more contact information, please visit http://www.albanycounty.com/departments/legislature/legislator.asp?id=165. 

George L. Infante - District 01
9 McDonald Road
Albany, NY 12209
Home: (518) 449-5822

Christopher T. Higgins - District 06
88 Dove Street
Albany, NY 12210
(518) 320-8580
[email protected]

Donald W. Rahm - District 09
271 South Main Avenue
Albany, NY 12208

Phillip G. Steck - District 15
12 Paul Holly Drive
Loudonville, NY 12211
Phone: (518) 463-7786
[email protected]

Robert J. Beston - District 16
1406 6th Avenue
Watervliet, NY 12189
Home: (518) 272-1038

Shawn M. Morse - District 18
PO Box 402
Cohoes, NY 12047
(518) 470-4126
[email protected]

William M. Hoblock - District 26
20 DeLucia Terrace
Loudonville, New York 12211
Home: (518) 465-2906
[email protected]

Patrice Lockart - District 27
12 Peach Tree Lane
Albany, NY 12205
(518) 456-3866
[email protected]

Bryan M. Clenahan - District 30
30 Woodlake Road
Albany, NY 12203
Telephone: (518) 464-7601
[email protected]