New York: New York City Lawmaker Proposes New Gun Ban

The term “childproof handgun” sounds innocuous enough, but like most of New York’s unworkable gun control laws, the devil is in the details.  Sen. Jose Serrano (D-Bronx) is the mastermind behind S.3444, which is as far-fetched as microstamping, “smart guns” and ammunition background check databases.  Undeterred by failure after failure, anti-gun lawmakers in the New York Senate are back pitching more gun control.   

S.3444 would ban gun dealers, after 12 months, from selling firearms not equipped with safety features which would “preclude an average five year old child from operating the pistol or revolver.”  What exactly does that mean?  The bill mandates that these “childproof guns” be equipped with adjustable triggers which can be set to 10 lbs.  The guns would have to be designed so that they could not be operated by a small hand, according to the bill.  Of course, these numbers and ages are as arbitrary as the SAFE Act’s 7 round magazine limit.  There is also no evidence from manufacturers that any of these mandates are even feasible.  That is because this bill is more about banning traditional handguns than improving safety. 

Whether it is microstamping or “smart guns,” anti-gun lawmakers are constantly scheming for new ways to ban firearms.   None of these ideas are technologically feasible, and they certainly do not impact criminals, who by definition do not follow the law.  This is why every time anti-gun politicians pass a bill like the SAFE Act they return with yet another outrageous idea.  And make no mistake, S.3444 is outrageous.  This bill will do nothing to improve public safety and is designed only to impact law-abiding gun owners.   For example, this bill could render firearms useless to an entire class of vulnerable adults who have handicaps.  Ultimately, firearm storage and use is a matter of personal responsibility, and mandating a one-size-fits-all solution is flawed.  However, New York gun owners will not be fooled by this bill, which is nothing more than another Albany gun ban. 

S.3444 has been assigned to the Senate Codes Committee.  Please contact your state Senator and respectfully ask him/her to vote “NO” on S.3444.

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Your NRA-ILA is on the ground every week fighting to repeal the SAFE Act and prevent your rights from being further infringed on in The Empire State.  Stay-tuned to NRA-ILA alerts and your inbox for more information when it becomes available.