Restrict ammo sales, two lawmakers sayBy Hallie Arnold, Freeman staff02/23/2005
KINGSTON - The sale of ammunition like that used in the Hudson Valley Mall shooting should be restricted, two local Democratic lawmakers say.
"I realize you can't stop somebody from committing a crime, or committing a heinous act if they're really intent on doing it, but maybe you can slow it down," said Bill Reynolds, majority leader of the Kingston Common Council. "Obviously, real strict gun control doesn't make a lot of sense, but perhaps there is some wisdom in at least slowing people down from getting their hands on weapons of war and the ammunition for them."
Authorities say 25-year-old Robert Bonelli Jr. of Glasco purchased three boxes of 7.62-caliber ammunition for his Hesse Model 47 semiautomatic assault rifle at the Wal-Mart store next to Hudson Valley Mall in the town of Ulster an hour before he fire 50-60 shots inside the mall, wounding two people.
Authorities have said both the weapon, purchased at a local gun show, and the ammunition were obtained legally, but Reynolds and Ulster County Legislator Brian Shapiro of Woodstock said there should be tighter restrictions on the availability of the semiautomatic rounds used in the shooting.
"These are assault weapons. They're meant for killing human beings, and ammunition for these types of weapons should not be available at Wal-Mart," Shapiro said.
Neither lawmaker has made a formal proposal for restricting ammo sales, but both say they're exploring what can be done.
Shapiro said he may ask the county Legislature to approve a resolution in support of reinstating the Brady Bill, the federal ban on assault weapons that expired last September.
"I do feel that the Legislature should take some position on this, whether it's a memorializing resolution addressing Wal-Mart's sale of these types of bullets or urging President Bush to re-enact the ban on assault weapons," Shapiro said. "It definitely falls under a public health and public safety issue for the residents in Ulster County."
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., also has called on Bush to reinstate the ban on assault weapons.
Shapiro said Wal-Mart has taken products off the shelves before in response to violent incidents. In 2003, a Wal-Mart in suburban Columbus, Ohio, pulled the video game "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" from its shelves during the investigation into 12 shootings on a nearby highway.
Wal-Mart corporate spokeswoman Karen Burk called that product removal an "isolated incident" but said individual stores sometimes will work with local authorities and the company's corporate headquarters to do what they believe is "the best thing for their specific community."
"We would follow all local, state and federal regulations regarding our sales of any merchandise in our stores, and that is our position on anything that we offer in our stores," Burk said.
National Rifle Association spokeswoman Autumn Fogg said she could not comment without more specific information about what lawmakers are proposing.
Eric Howard, a spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, praised local lawmakers for their efforts.
"It's definitely a good place to start," he said. "We need comprehensive laws on this across the board, on the federal, state and county level."
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