On Monday, Senate Bill 5837, sponsored by state Senator James Seward, passed the New York State Senate on a 35-26 vote and has now been delivered to the Assembly Codes Committee. This legislation would strike the penal code section dealing with the ammunition database, effectively scrapping the ammunition background check system. S. 5837 would also make administrative changes which provide for the inheritance of firearms to qualified, direct family members, including legally registered semi-automatic long guns regulated by the SAFE Act. These were two of the features of the radically flawed SAFE Act that passed in 2013. S.5837 also seeks to make changes to the Mental Hygiene Law, requiring notice for persons whose names may be submitted to the NICS database. Pistol permit recertification is removed from the State Police and will be administered locally. A federal district court has already struck down the 7-round magazine limit, and that issue is still pending on appeal.
The New York Legislature is in the final days of the 2015 Legislative Session. S.5837 still has to pass the Assembly and be signed by the Governor before becoming law. While the NRA remains opposed to the entire SAFE Act, this legislation represents a significant step in the right direction. State Senator James Seward in conjunction with Majority Leader John Flanagan and the entire Republican conference have shifted the debate in the proper direction and given law-abiding gun owners in New York reason for optimism. Your NRA will continue working to repeal the entirety of the SAFE Act, and we continue to support the lawsuit against this deeply flawed law. Please contact your Assembly member and respectfully ask him or her to support SAFE Act reform. Click the button above to take action now!
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