The New York Senate last night overwhelmingly passed a sweeping new gun bill that could make the state the first in the nation to adopt stricter regulations in the wake of last month’s elementary-school massacre in Connecticut.
The bill passed 43-18, with the naysayers all upstate Republicans.
The Assembly is expected to take up the legislation when it returns at 10 this morning.
The measures in the bill were negotiated by Gov. Cuomo and legislative leaders, and ban the sale of assault weapons in New York and broaden the definition of an assault weapons.
Cuomo called the plan possibly “the most comprehensive response to this crisis,” referring to several recent shooting sprees.
“These are common-sense measures,” he said.
Senate co-leader Jeff Klein (D-Bronx) said after the vote, “Today we solidify our place as a national leader on gun control.”
The legislation, called the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act, or NYSAFE, now defines an assault weapon as any having detachable magazines and one military-style feature, instead of two.
It also includes a ban on all magazines that hold more than seven rounds, and bans direct Internet ammunition sales.
The bill calls for universal background checks for all gun sales, as well as real-time background checks of ammunition purchases in order to alert State Police to high-volume buyers.
Individuals who already own assault weapons will be required to register them within a year and be recertified every five years. . .