New Yorkers Propose New Amendments to ‘Chip Away’ at Anti-Gun SAFE Act

Gun-toting New Yorkers who feel burdened by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D-NY) anti-gun New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act, have introduced new amendments to get rid of some of the law’s most unpopular provisions.

As opposed to repealing the entire law, which has proved to be unfruitful, Sen. James Seward (R-Milford) and Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi (D-Utica) are launching a bipartisan effort to bid farewell to a few of the most ‘onerous parts’ of the SAFE Act. Here are the specifics of their three proposed amendments:

· Allow gun owners to load 10 cartridges into 10-round magazines. The Safe Act put that maximum at seven cartridges in some circumstances, at 10 in others. A federal judge in Western New York in late 2013 struck down the number as arbitrary; the state is appealing that decision. The proposed legislation would make it clear that shooters could legally fill 10-round magazines.

· Make it easier for owners of long guns to gift those guns to family members or people who hold a pistol permit.

· Cancel the requirement for background checks for all ammunition sales. New York State Police have not yet created a system, Superintendent Joseph D'Amico told lawmakers late last month.

Gov. Cuomo signed the SAFE Act into law a month after the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2013. Although the liberal governor claimed the bill would help keep New Yorkers out of danger, the law was unpopular from the moment Cuomo set down his pen. Among other heavy regulations, it banned the use of “assault weapons” – this was the state’s definition of guns such as AR-15 semi-automatic rifles – and demanded stricter registration requirements. These rules created an environment in which almost 1,200 felonies were documented against gun owners in just one year after the law was enforced.

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New Yorkers who cherish their Second Amendment rights have refused to let the state turn them into criminals, organizing large scale protests to give Cuomo a piece of their minds. Unfortunately, however, their demands have not carried far past Albany. The SAFE Act is still very much reality.

While protesters and legislators have failed to get rid of the entire law, this new baby step strategy just might work.