Well, here is the Press release...
IT IS AN OUTRIGHT BAN OF Semi-automatic rifles. We will never have the chance to register them.....
Scarey thing is that George W. Bush supports Pataki's proposals. This is a national issue not just a New York issue now....
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 15, 2000
GOVERNOR PROPOSES FIVE POINT PLAN TO COMBAT GUN VIOLENCE
Plan Includes "Gun DNA" to Provide Police with New Tools
Governor George E. Pataki today proposed a five-point plan to combat gun violence in New York State, including a "Gun DNA" program that would make New York a national leader in digitized ballistics tracking and enable law enforcement to trace the history of a handgun.
The five-point plan would require child safety locks to be sold with firearms at the time of sale; ban assault weapons, mirroring federal legislation; close the loophole in federal law by requiring background checks for purchases at all gun shows; require individuals to be 21 years old to get a permit and purchase a handgun; and implement the Gun DNA program.
"While New York State has lead the nation with a 34 percent drop in violent crime since 1994, we still have too much gun violence in our communities. Each year more New Yorkers are killed by guns than die in car crashes -- and that must change," Governor Pataki said. "These common-sense measures will help keep guns away from children and out of the hands of criminals.
"The Gun DNA plan will provide police with an important tool that will give them a running start on their investigations, enabling them to catch violent criminals quicker," the Governor said. "Like our legislation to expand New York's DNA Databank to include all convicted criminals, Gun DNA can provide irrefutable evidence that can solve crimes. Gun DNA is the next step for New York as we continue to develop innovative crime fighting policies."
Under the Gun DNA program, handgun manufacturers who sell to dealers in New York, and/or the dealers themselves would be required to transmit bullets and shell casings from every handgun in their inventory to the State Police's Forensic Investigative Center. The computer images of those bullets and casings would be downloaded into a digitized computer database. Those images would then be used by law enforcement officials attempting to trace the origins of guns used in crimes.
The Gun DNA plan follows up on Governor Pataki proposal last month to further expand the State's DNA Databank by requiring all convicted criminals to submit a DNA sample -- the most far-reaching DNA law in America.
Under a law Governor Pataki signed into law in 1999, only certain convicted criminals are required to submit DNA samples. Yet, that law, which took effect on December 1, lead to an arrest on Monday in the 20- year-old murder of a young Westchester woman. The suspect's DNA sample had been entered into the Databank because he was in State prison for robbery and was required under the new law to submit a sample.
"We have demonstrated that our DNA database can provide crime- solving evidence for police and prosecutors," Governor Pataki said. "We must expand the database and move forward with the Gun DNA plan -- giving law enforcement a powerful new one-two punch to solve crimes."
According to the Federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) nearly 90 percent of all the guns used in crimes are handguns, and an estimated 70 percent of adult inmates reported obtaining their guns from sources other than the black market -- including retailers, family and private owners. A Congressional study of ATF data reported that 1 percent of the nation's federally licensed firearms dealers were responsible for selling nearly one-half of the guns traced to crime in 1998.
New York City Police Commissioner Howard Safir said, "It is with pleasure that I join with Governor Pataki in calling for stricter gun control measures in New York State. The Governor's five point plan is a common sense approach to tightening the distribution, tracking and maintenance of firearms within our State. Although New York still has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation, this plan will close some of the loopholes that allow guns to end up in the hands of criminals, as well as keep our children safe from gun-related accidents. The benefits of these measures will be seen in the innocent lives that are saved and so I urge the State Legislature to act quickly on these important bills."
Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro, President of the New York State Association of District Attorneys, said, "It is time to deal with today's reality and that is that more people die in the United States of gun injuries than any other place in the world. This is an effort that will assist law enforcement in prevention, investigation and prosecution of crime."
Richard M. Aborn, member of the Board of Directors of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, and former President, Handgun Control Inc., said, "The Governor's proposal is precisely the sort of imaginative, comprehensive legislation that we need. It is crystal clear that gun control forms a critical component of an overall crime fighting strategy. This proposal smartly ties together law enforcement provisions with prevention and would make a welcomed addition to the fight to control gun violence."
Child Safety Locks
The child safety lock provision would require any person, firm or corporation that sells firearms to provide at the time of sale, delivery or transfer a gun locking device that will prevent the weapon from being discharged. Additionally, a notice regarding the use of a locking device and the safe storage of weapons must be displayed in all businesses selling weapons in New York.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) firearm injuries in 1994 were the second leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 10 and 24, and there were 787 unintended firearm deaths among persons aged 10 to 29, accounting for 58 percent of all unintentional firearm deaths in the nation that year.
Also according to the CDC, the rate of firearm death in the United States of children ages 0 to 14 is nearly 12 times higher than in 25 other industrialized nations combined. More than 800 Americans, young and old, die each year from guns shot by children under the age of 19.
Assault Weapons Ban
The Governor's plan would also establish criminal sanctions for the possession and sale of assault weapons and large capacity ammunition feeding devices in New York State. Since 1994, federal law has restricted the possession of assault weapons and large capacity clips. This measure would mirror the federal provisions and definitions of "assault weapon" and "large capacity feeding device," as well as the exclusions and exemptions applicable to each.
This proposal would make it a Class D violent felony to possess either an assault weapon or a large capacity ammunition feeding device, and a Class C violent felony to unlawfully sell an assault weapon or large capacity clip. In addition, the unlawful sale of 10 or more of either item is punishable as a Class B violent felony.
Closing the Loophole
Under the federal Brady Law, sales of guns by federally licensed firearms dealers must be accompanied by a background check. Gun shows are not subject to the Brady Law unless a sale at the show involves a federally licensed dealer.
Last spring, Governor Pataki directed that any gun show conducted on State property must require that all sales, regardless of the status of the seller, be accompanied by a background check. This proposal would require background checks on all sales at all gun shows in New York State.
Raising the Legal Age
The final provision of the Governor's plan would require individuals to be 21 years old to get a permit and purchase a handgun.
More than 70 percent of homicides are committed with a firearm, and each year since 1988, more than 80 percent of homicide victims 15 to 19 years of age were killed with a gun, according to the CDC.
Katherine N. Lapp, New York State Director of Criminal Justice, said, "Recognizing the dangers of alcohol, a minor must be 21 to drink anywhere in the United States. It stands to reason that the same rational should be applied to handgun ownership. The Governor's proposal is common sense criminal justice policy that will undoubtedly save lives."
