Jan. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Governor Andrew Cuomo sent a bill to lawmakers that would expand New York's assault-weapon ban, moving the state closer to becoming the first to tighten gun controls after last month's Newtown, Connecticut, massacre.
Cuomo presented his measure in Albany late today, telling reporters he hoped for a vote on it in the next few hours. He held a news briefing on the bill after failing to strike a deal with Republicans that would ensure passage of the changes.
The proposal would tighten rules on firearm sales, bar all ammunition clips that hold more than seven bullets, and close gaps in a 2000 ban on military-style weapons, which Cuomo said has more "holes than Swiss cheese." It also would make it easier for authorities to take weapons owned legally by mentally ill people, if they're deemed to be a threat.
"I believe it's the most comprehensive response to this crisis," Cuomo said. "New Yorkers can feel their government is responsive and this state is safer."
The state Senate probably will vote on the measure either later today or in the ealry morning hours of tomorrow, according to Senator Marty Golden, a Brooklyn Republican. Members of his partyhave a majority in the Senate.
The bill would make New York the first to respond to growing calls for tighter gun restrictions since Dec. 14, when a 20-year-old Newtown, Connecticut, man killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Democratic governors and lawmakers in at least 10 states are seeking new gun controls, challenging the firearms lobby's political clout.
Bushmasters Used
The shooter in the Newtown massacre, Adam Lanza, used a Bushmaster semiautomatic rifle, similar to those made at a Remington Arms Co. plant in Ilion, in upstate New York. Two weeks later, two firefighters were killed in Webster, near Rochester, by a 62-year-old man also wielding a Bushmaster. About three dozen workers from the Ilion plant were in Albany today to protest tighter controls on the weapons.
New York law already bans clips made after 1994 that can hold more than 10 bullets. The Bushmaster used in Connecticut held 30 rounds, according to state police there. Cuomo wants to make all high-capacity magazines illegal in New York.
"It's a knee-jerk reaction to tragedy," said Jamie Rudwall, president of the United Mine Workers of America Local 717, which represents about 1,200 Remington workers. "I have three small children myself. I know first-hand what it means. What we need is to look at ways to prevent that kind of stuff as opposed to eliminating the rights of law-abiding citizens."
Exposure Protection
Cuomo's measure would offer protection from public exposure for holders of pistol permits, if they ask for it. A suburban New York newspaper recently published the names of those people in Westchester and Rockland counties, using information obtained through Freedom of Information laws and drawing criticism for jeopardizing the safety of at least some of those residents.
In Connecticut, Governor Dan Malloy said last week he'll set up an advisory panel to propose gun-control measures similar to a task force created by President Barack Obama. In Colorado, where 12 people died in July during a shooting in a movie theater, Governor John Hickenlooper on Jan. 10 suggested that "universal background checks" be required for gun purchases.
The proposals mark a shift from previous years, when debate focused on broadening the right to carry guns, including at colleges or in public buildings.
"The main thrust has been on expanding gun rights, not a retraction," said Richard Feldman, president of the Independent Firearm Owners Association, a Rindge, New Hampshire-based group that opposes restrictions on gun owners. "This is the most intense discussion of the gun issue in my lifetime."
Growing Agreement
Vice President Joe Biden, who leads Obama's task force, said last week that there's a growing agreement on the need for background checks on all types of gun sales and a ban on high- capacity magazines. Obama said today that he received recommendations from Biden for legislative and executive actions to stop gun violence as part of the response to Newtown.
The National Rifle Association, the nation's largest gun- rights group, with 4 million members, said last week that Obama is moving to "attack the Second Amendment," which protects the right to bear arms. The Fairfax, Virginia-based group's opposition poses an obstacle in the House of Representatives, which is controlled by Republicans, who more often side with gun-rights advocates than do Democrats.
Among the states whose governors or legislative leaders are calling for new gun controls are Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland and Oregon.
NRA Warning
More proposals may emerge as legislative sessions in many states begin in coming weeks. In a recent letter to supporters, the NRA said state lawmakers "will soon be voting on dozens of new bills to impose greater restrictions on your right to own and use firearms." Andrew Arulanandam, a spokesman for the group, didn't respond to a telephone message seeking comment on proposals that have already been put forward.
Republicans control a majority of governorships and state legislatures. Gun-control measures will be more difficult to pass in those states, said Andy Pelosi, executive director of States United to Prevent Gun Violence, a New York-based group.
"We're going to have to fight a very uphill battle, whether it's in Washington or state legislatures," Pelosi said.
--Editors: Mark Schoifet, Ted Bunker, Pete Young.
To contact the reporters on this story: Freeman Klopott in Albany, New York, at fklopott@bloomberg.net; William Selway in Baltimore at wselway@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Merelman at smerelman@bloomberg.net
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