Proposed gun bill takes aim at state's economyBy Ken Mathison
The New York state Assembly recently passed a number of anti-gun bills that will have virtually no effect on gun crime or gun injuries but will have some very negative impacts on New York's economy.
A4471, which has the alarmist title of the "50-caliber Sniper Rifle Ban," would not only ban the sale and possession of legally owned firearms that have never been associated with crime or terrorism, but it would also have the consequence of banning the most commonly used deer-hunting firearm the rifled-barrel shotgun.
Under state Penal Law, when you add a rifled barrel to a shotgun it becomes a centerfire rifle, and since virtually all shotgun barrels (smooth bore or rifled bore) are more than 50-caliber, they would be banned by this bill.
That means that all owners of these guns would have to turn them in to the State Police for reimbursement at "fair market" value. Many tens of thousands of these shotguns are owned in New York and the cost of confiscating them could be significant for state taxpayers, not to mention a tremendous burden for State Police manpower.
Additionally, two major manufacturers of shotguns have manufacturing plants in New York and they would most assuredly relocate those plants to other states, resulting in the loss of many jobs in the state.
Assembly leaders have known about the consequences of this bill from the beginning but they seem to be uncaring about its impact on the economy of primarily upstate New York and on the lives of hard-working New Yorkers.
The rest of the legislative package would be equally ineffective in reducing gun crime or gun injuries but would be very restrictive to law-abiding gun owners and licensed gun dealers resulting in more business closings and more people choosing to move out of New York.
The Assembly is basically controlled by 12 ultra-left liberals from Manhattan and that gang of 12 has absolutely no concern for the rights of gun owners in New York. More importantly, they have little regard for the welfare of the rest of New York state outside Manhattan.
No matter your opinion on gun ownership, you should be outraged at the Assembly leadership's casual disregard for our great state's overall well-being.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050606/OPINION02/506060310/1039/OPINION.
