To the acclaim of big-money gun control advocates, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday inked a six-pack of Democrat-backed gun restrictions into law.
The legislation, rubber-stamped by the Democrat-controlled (144 of 213 seats) state legislature along party lines, includes mandates for credit card companies to track sales at licensed gun dealers, create tobacco-style safety "warnings" at gun stores, make it easier to seize legally owned firearms, and puts a target on firearm manufacturers.
The bill signing event included not only the governor but also gun control activists such as Gabby Giffords, and U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), the latter a key supporter of federal bans on popular semi-auto firearms. Hochul leaned into the prohibition rhetoric, saying, “Gun violence is a national crisis. We desperately need federal action on this issue. And that's why I'm calling for a new National Assault Weapons Ban, because the last one never should have expired. And background checks should be universal."
Perhaps the most overreaching of the new measures signed this week is S7365B/ A10053A, which updates the Empire State's already controversial "gun industry accountability law" to explicitly require firearm manufacturers to take steps to ensure their handguns cannot be made full auto via the use of aftermarket conversion devices and switches. The law will take effect immediately.
Glock in the crosshairs?
While Hochul didn't mention Glock, the Bloomberg-backed Everytown group certainly did, citing its internal research. The anti-2A group argues, "Pistols made by other large manufacturers require extensive engineering beyond the average person’s capabilities to convert their handguns into machine guns, but a Glock handgun can easily be converted into an illegal machine gun with a $25 Glock switch and a screwdriver."
We are guessing Everytown and the gang never heard of the Prohibition-era Lebman 1911, how often inadvertent hammer-follow occurs in standard 1911s (particularly once sear noses round), or how easy it is to "bump fire" most semi-auto handguns.
But speaking of Everytown and Glock, the House Oversight Committee has issued subpoenas to the ATF and the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention – which is overseen by Vice President Harris and headed by a longtime former Giffords employee- – as part of investigating potential collaboration between the Biden-Harris Administration and gun control groups to specifically target Glock.
Other bills signed by Hochul include a mandate that credit and debit card issuers operating in the state create a special merchant category code for use by firearms dealers, another that agencies issuing firearms licenses in the state provide gun lock information along with the license, expands reporting of those subject to so-called "red flag" gun seizure orders into a statewide registry while making it easier for law enforcement to seek such orders, and a requirement that licensed firearms dealers post written warnings to about the "dangers posed by access to weapons in the home."
Banner image: Glock 29 Gen 5 10mm. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
