This was a busy week for gun control legislation in both Albany, N.Y., and Washington, D.C. Catch up by reading this roundup of news and opinion:
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s SAFE Act passed the Senate on Monday night and the Assembly late Tuesday afternoon, and then Cuomo signed itjust before the 5 p.m. news on Tuesday.
The state GOP responded, saying Cuomo abused the constitution in an effort to raise his profile nationally.
The next day, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden gave a press conference in Washington announcing 23 executive actions and various challenges for Congress. Obama then signed the actions immediately.
New York gun control
Read New York’s SAFE Act on gun control, and our editorial saying we should be under “no illusions that the measures will do enough to stop the bleeding.”
Jon Campbell of Gannett’s Albany bureau wrote a Q&A explaining how New York’s gun law will work. It begins with a complicated question for many: What type of guns are banned?
Part of the law allows permit holders to request their information be kept private, an apparent response to The Journal News’ publication of an interactive map of permit holders in Westchester and Rockland. Counties immediately reported getting calls from people requesting the exemption, though they didn’t yet have an opt-out form ready to use.
Siena College released a poll Thursday showing voters supported a strong ban on assault weapons and stricter penalties for illegal firearm purchases.
Mental-health professionals, reviewing a section of the New York law requiring them to report patients they think are dangerous, worried it will discourage people from seeking treatment.
Washington gun control
Read Obama’s gun-control plan and the NRA’s reaction. Our editorial calls the recommendations “sensible and long overdue,” and encourages Congress to act.
USA Today explains the Obama/Biden plan’s hurdles in Congress. Scroll down to the end of that story to view a slideshow highlighting the 10 key points of the president’s plan.
With this week’s announcement, Obama is beginning his second term in office focusing on gun control, though he has other stated objectives as well. Tell us what you think he should focus on by voting in the survey on our Opinion page.
Photo: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs New York’s Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act into law during a ceremony in the Red Room at the Capitol on Tuesday in Albany. Also pictured are, from left: Senate co-leader Jeffrey Klein, D-Bronx, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, and Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers. Behind Cuomo is Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
