NY to Reverse Ban on Magazine Size In Gun Law

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday the state is not rolling back the nation’s most stringent gun control measure by keeping 10-bullet magazines legal, even though they would have been outlawed in a bill that passed earlier this year.

Cuomo and legislative leaders in state budget talks plan to change the law that was passed in January before a provision kicks in banning the sale of 10-bullet magazines. The gun measure outlaws the purchase of any magazines that carry more than seven bullets, the nation’s most stringent limit. That would have put a severe limit on the sale of guns with industry standard 10-bullet magazines when the provision of the law went onto effect April 15.

“There is no such thing as a seven-bullet magazine. That doesn’t exist, so you really have no practical option,” Cuomo said. He told reporters that any suggestion this will be a rollback of the law is “wholly without basis.”

Cuomo said New Yorkers will still be required to keep no more than seven bullets in them, except at shooting ranges and competitions.

He minimized the cleanup now needed in the bill as addressing “ambiguities” and “grammatical errors” and routine for complex measures. They include exempting police and their weapons and allowing Hollywood to continue to film violent movies.

This article appeared in print on page 5 of the March 21st, 2013 edition of Hamodia.