protestors rally against ammunition bill in NY

[HudsonHawk]

Anti-gun law forces plan Albany rally | theithacajournal.com | The Ithaca Journal

Anti-gun law forces plan Albany rally
By Heather Senison • Albany Bureau • May 22, 2009
One bill, sponsored by Assemblyman William Boyland Jr., D-Brooklyn, would require the creation of a database and for all ammunition purchases to be registered in it.

The other, sponsored by Sen. Eric Adams, D-Brooklyn, would establish the same kind of database. It would also add a tax to ammunition to fund the database and provide tax credits to manufacturers or dealers who exchange uncoded ammunition for new, coded ammunition.

Memos in support of those bills say they would be important crime-fighting tools and would help to reduce gun violence.

Those who oppose the bills say they would cause unnecessary work for gun dealers and people who buy firearms.

"The laws that they're proposing are to count how many rounds of ammunition you're buying and to log what type of ammunition you're going to have," said Bill Hart, a member of the pro-gun-rights organization We the People.

"Their intent was that this is going to somehow stop crime or stop killings and murders," Hart said. "That's like trying to stop a clock to save time."

Frank Houser, manager at B&J Guns in Albany, said the background checks and paperwork required to purchase a gun are enough restrictions.

"Pistol shooters already go through an extensive background check," Houser said. "To do another check on ammunition is just ridiculous. There's enough paperwork. Our customers are law-abiding citizens."

Houser also said requiring ammunition registration is a way for the state to require people to register long-guns, such as a rifle or shotgun. Currently, long-gun users have to pass a federal background check before they can purchase the guns, but no registration is required, Houser said.

The rally, to be held next Tuesday at 5 p.m. outside the Albany County courthouse, is also in response to a package of legislation passed by the Assembly last month regarding stricter regulations on firearms sales and ownership. The county legislature is also considering that night measures to track ammunition that the activists oppose.

Among the provisions of the state Assembly package, not yet acted on by the Senate, were a requirement that all semi-automatic handguns sold in the state to be capable of microstamping technology so each bullet casing is marked with a unique set of numbers and letters for identification purposes.

The package also included a bill to require all handguns in private homes to be locked in a storage compartment, and all triggers to be equipped with child safety locks.

The Boyland bill "will provide police officers with a valuable tool to link guns from various crime scenes and help protect New York's families," according to a memo accompanying the bill.

A memo with Adam's bill said it would "give law enforcement a new and effective way to quickly identify persons of interest in gun-crime investigations."

Senator Adams is a retired NYPD Captain with a penchant for backing senseless bills.

[pgg]

They are trying the same crap here. I swear when I get put on hold while calling my reprentatives they roll their eyes and say "its that same guy again bitching"

[CTR man]

They are trying the same crap here. I swear when I get put on hold while calling my reprentatives they roll their eyes and say "its that same guy again bitching"

That's because we have tools for senators. Same goes for that twit Rep from SFO. The rest don't want to step on any toes or are in their pockets.

[MacLean]

Senator Adams is a retired NYPD Captain with a penchant for backing senseless bills.

He was probably a toolbag on the job, too.

[HudsonHawk]

He was probably a toolbag on the job, too.

That's an understatement.