The deadline has arrived for gun owners in New York state to register guns the state defines as “assault weapons” under Governor Andrew Cuomo’s anti-gun SAFE Act.
The penalties for ignoring the deadline range from a misdemeanor to a felony. The law allows for either charge, and the State Police say it will be up to prosecutors to decide which to apply.
Despite the consequences of refusing to register, as of April 13, already 1 million New Yorkers have decided to rebel against the state, citing their Second Amendment rights.
It’s not hard to imagine why. “Assault weapon” is a political term created by gun control activists simply because they think the AR-15 “looks” scary. How else could one explain that the changes the NY SAFE Act makes are all cosmetic? The banned features don’t affect firing power.
Gun owners across the state have recognized this, rallying in the state capitol with their ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ signs to voice their displeasure and demand their Second Amendment freedom remains free. Some took their frustration one step further, sending their now illegal firearms to more gun-friendly states ahead of New York's registry deadline.
Allan Rice, a manager at Beikirch's, had five assault rifles that the law requires be registered. He converted one to avoid registration and shipped the other four to his son in Florida, where gun laws are far less restrictive.
"Registration leads to confiscation, any way you look at it," Rice said.
So now the question is: Will New Yorkers succumb to a law they disagree with and sell their AR-15 souls - or become criminals?