(Albany, NY) - Senator Malcolm A. Smith (D-Queens) and IDC Conference Leader Senator Jeff Klein(D- Bronx) who are prime sponsors of the Governor’s proposal to ban assault weapons introduced and passed, Governor Andrew Cuomo’s gun bill Monday which, would move New York into the forefront of the nation’s battle against gun violence. The State Legislature’s vote, exactly one month following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that killed 26 people in Connecticut, would be the nation's first gun control measure following the tragedy and represent the toughest gun laws in the country. Senator Smith applauds the Governor for his leadership in addressing one of the most critical challenges confronting our state and nation. When signed by the Governor our communities will be safer.
The agreement would place even greater restrictions in New York's ban on assault weapons. Among the measures the bill seeks to: limit the size of magazines to 7 rounds, down from 10; provide more stringent background checks for sales of guns; increase penalties for illegal gun possession; provide the establishment of a School Safety Task Force to assess the quality of school safety plans statewide; and eliminate the sale of guns to those with mental illness.
Earlier today, Senator Smith joined other elected officials and members of the Grand Council of Guardians, the National Latino Officers Association and Mothers against Guns at a press conference to declare their support for the bill.
Senator Smith stated, "I’m proud to say that today we enacted the smartest and most thorough gun control policies anywhere in the country. Gun violence is a problem that affects all of us, urban and rural, Republican and Democrat. That’s why we worked so hard on a bipartisan basis to address this critical problem. This package safeguards our communities, eliminates assault weapons and high capacity magazines from store shelves, and finally cracks down on those who own or peddle in illegal guns. Increasing criminal penalties for illegal gun activity is something that I’ve been pushing to get done for years. I’m proud to say that today we’ve accomplished that goal.
"I hope today's vote provides some level of comfort to the grieving mothers - Donna Hood, Shanee Johnson, and the families of Lloyd Morgan, Kenneth Archbold all of whom lost a love one due to the use of illegal guns.
"Finally, we accomplished all of this by preserving and protecting the Second Amendment rights of all New Yorkers."
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