County sheriffs have asked to join the federal lawsuit challenging
New York’s tough new gun restrictions, calling some provisions vague and
impossible to enforce fairly. The New York State Sheriffs’ Association and five individual sheriffs
are asking U.S. District Judge William Skretny to add their position to
the record. They support gun rights advocates seeking to block
enforcement of new bullet limits for magazines and the tighter
definition of assault weapons.The law bans magazines with a capacity of more than 10 bullets and
generally prohibits loading them with more than seven. It defines
assault weapons as semi-automatics with detachable magazines and a
single military-style feature such as a pistol grip. The old definition
required two such features. The law also requires New York owners of an estimated 1 million guns,
including popular versions of AR-15 rifles now reclassified as assault
weapons, to register them by April 15. Since Jan. 15, it has been
illegal to sell or buy those guns in the state...
The sheriffs thought they were being summoned to the Capitol to
discuss ideas for changes to New York’s gun control law, the SAFE Act.
Instead, Gov. Andrew Cuomo told them to keep quiet. Opposition to the
new law has simmered in upstate areas since Cuomo signed the law in
January. Many county sheriffs oppose it, particularly its expanded
definition of banned assault weapons, and have spoken out around the
state. In January, the New York State Sheriffs’ Association wrote Cuomo
with an analysis, and later suggested tweaks. Cuomo invited its leaders to the Capitol last month, people briefed on the meeting said. Rather than discuss the merits of the letter, Cuomo asked those in
attendance to stop publicly discussing opposition to the SAFE Act. One individual briefed on the meeting claimed that Cuomo had threatened to remove some sheriffs from office...
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