At the March General Meeting VID Passed Two Resolutions on Gun Control
The first gun control resolution, addressed to the NYS Legislature, requests parity between two existing pieces of legislation. On the one hand New York State law prohibits minors under the age of 21 from obtaining a license to own or carry handguns; on the other New York State allows anyone over the age of 16 to purchase and own rifles and other long-barreled firearms and the ammunition for them. Here’s the resolution. The resolution calls on Democrats and Republicans in the State of New York legislature to increase the minimum age to buy, own, transfer, and obtain a license for ALL firearms and ammunition to at least 21.
The second gun control resolution demands Congressional action to end gun violence with eight specific requirements. These include:
- Increasing requirements for purchasing or transferring a firearms;
- Implementing universal background checks;
- A ban on assault weapons, bump stocks and high-capacity magazines;
- Prohibition of purchase or transfer of all weapons to violent criminals,
- convicted stalkers, and individuals listed on the Global Terrorism Database;
- Holding hold firearm manufacturers liable for the omission of safety mechanisms on firearms;
- The development and implementation of a National Gun Registry;
- Treating gun-related injuries and deaths as a public health issue.
The resolution further puts particular emphasis on opposing the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.
State Democrats have introduced several pieces of legislation since February that have been blocked by State Republicans. Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins has published a comprehensive account of all legislation introduced, and their sponsors in a piece titled Senate Republicans Vote Down Gun Safety Legislation.
The NYS Assembly passed their package on March 6th by a large margin. The NYS Senate however, voted them down and instead “passed a series of so-called school safety measures that, among other steps, would require police officers at schools in New York City and provide grants to districts outside the city to hire retired law enforcement as school resource officers,” as reported by The NY Daily News.