TAKING
TAKING CENTER STAGE IN ALBANY. NEW YORK STATE
ALREADY HAS SOME OF
THE STRICTEST GUN-
CONTROL MEASURES IN
THE COUNTRY... AND
THEY COULD GET EVEN
STRICTER.
2 ON YOUR SIDE'S
MICHAEL WOOTEN
EXPLAINS IN THIS 2 ON
YOUR SIDE ORIGINAL.
IN
IN THE
IN THE WEEKS... MONTHS... AND YEARS...
SINCE GOVERNOR
ANDREW CUOMO
SIGNED THE NEW YORK
SAFE ACT...
OPPONENTS HAVE
FOUGHT HARD TO
OVERTURN WHAT'S
DESCRIBED AS THE
TOUGHEST GUN
CONTROL LAW IN THE
COUNTRY.
"IT JUST WENT SO FAR
OVERBOARD."
"IT WILL NOT DETER
CRIME IN ANY WAY,
SHAPE OR FORM..."
"WORST GUN LAWS AS
FAR AS I'M CONCERNED
IN THE NATION."
BUT THE LAW STANDS.
SUPPORTERS HAVE
PRAISED ITS PASSAGE...
WHICH HAPPENED IN
THE AFTERMATH OF THE
MASS SHOOTING AS
SANDY HOOK
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL...
"WE AS A COMMUNITY
AND WE AS A PEOPLE AT
LEAST NEED TO TRY TO
SAVE AS MANY
CHILDREN AS WE CAN."
"ACROSS NEW YORK,
THE SAFE ACT IS
ACTUALLY PRETTY
POPULAR. BUT UPSTATE,
INCLUDING HERE IN
WESTERN NEW YORK,
THAT'S NOT AS MUCH
THE CASE..."
THE LATEST SIENA
COLLEGE POLL -- FROM
MARCH -- SHOWED 6 IN
10 NEW YORKERS
SUPPORT THE SAFE
ACT...
BUT "UPSTATE"...
DEFINED AS OUTSIDE
NEW YORK CITY AND ITS
SUBURBS... IT'S
CLOSER... LESS THAN
HALF APPROVE
.
THE OPPOSITION IS
WELL-ORGANIZED... AND
VOCAL.
"WE CAN'T HAVE THE
GOVERNMENT
CONTROLLING OUR
GUNS."
YET THE GOVERNMENT
IS POISED TO TAKE
"NEW" ACTION
REGARDING GUNS...
WHEN THE NEW
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
STARTS NEXT MONTH.
THAT'S BECAUSE
DEMOCRATS JUST WON
THE SENATE... ON TOP
OF CONTROLLING THE
ASSEMBLY AND THE
GOVERNOR'S OFFICE.
"IT IS A REAL POWER
SHIFT HAPPENING AT
THE STATE CAPITOL?"
"OH, NO DOUBT ABOUT
IT."
WE TALKED WITH JON
CAMPBELL... A GANNETT
REPORTER IN ALBANY...
WHO COVERS THE
STATE CAPITOL.
"WHAT TYPE OF
APPETITE IS THERE IN
ALBANY FOR NEW GUN
LAWS?"
"WELL, THE FACT THAT
DEMOCRATS ARE
COMING INTO CONTROL
OF THE STATE SENATE IN
JANUARY REALLY
AMPLIFIES THE PUSH
FOR GUN CONTROL
LAWS IN NEW YORK."
WE'LL LOOK AT 4
SPECIFIC PROPOSALS...
STARTING WITH THE
SO-CALLED 'RED FLAG'
BILL.
IT WOULD ALLOW FAMILY
MEMBERS, SCHOOL
LEADERS AND POLICE
OFFICERS TO PETITION A
JUDGE -- TO BLOCK
PEOPLE FROM
POSSESSING OR
PURCHASING GUNS IF
THEY'RE A --QUOTE--
"EXTREME RISK" TO
THEMSELVES OR
OTHERS.
IT HAS STRONG
SUPPORT AMONG
DEMOCRATS.
"IS THIS PERHAPS THE
MEASURE
MEASURE MOST LIKELY TO APPROVE THIS SESSION?"
"THE RED FLAG BILL IS
CERTAINLY THE ONE
THAT THE GOVERNOR
HAS PUSHED THE MOST,
AND ANYTIME THE
GOVERNOR PUSHES
SOMETHING IN ALBANY
IT GETS A LOOK FROM
LAWMAKERS, BECAUSE
THE GOVERNOR HAS SO
MUCH
MUCH POLITICAL POWER IN ALBANY." NEXT... A BUMP STOCK
BAN.
THE GUN ATTACHMENT
ALLOWS SEMI-
AUTOMATIC WEAPONS
TO FIRE FASTER.
THE
THE LAS
THE LAS VEGAS SHOOTER USED THE DEVICE -- WHEN HE
KILLED 58 PEOPLE LAST
YEAR.
ALMOST A DOZEN
STATES HAVE BANNED
BUMP STOCKS -- SINCE
THAT MASSACRE.
"FLORIDA BANNED BUMP
STOCKS. WILL NEW
YORK BE NEXT, YOU
THINK?"
"WELL, WHEN IT COMES
TO BUMP STOCKS, YOU
KNOW, A LOT OF THIS
HAS TO DO, IT MIGHT BE
RENDERED MOOT BY
THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT. YOU
KNOW, THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION HAS
BEEN SAYING FOR
MONTHS THAT THEY ARE
GOING TO ADVANCE
REGULATIONS THAT WILL
BAN THE SALE OF BUMP
STOCKS."
IN THE ABSENCE OF
THAT... STATE
LAWMAKERS MAY ACT.
THE THIRD GUN
CONTROL PROPOSAL
UNDER CONSIDERATION:
WOULD EXTEND THE
WAITING PERIOD FOR
"SOME" PEOPLE TRYING
TO BUY GUYS.
WHEN YOU MAKE SUCH
A PURCHASE... YOUR
NAME
NAME IS
NAME IS PUT INTO THE NATIONAL INSTANT CRIMINAL BACKGROUND
CHECK SYSTEM.
YOU CAN "PROCEED"...
BE "DENIED"... OR BE
"DELAYED".
THAT LAST OPTION
PROMPTS A 3-DAY
WAITING PERIOD... FOR
INVESTIGATORS TO SEE
IF YOU'RE ELIGIBLE TO
BUY THE WEAPON.
THE PROPOSAL IN
ALBANY WOULD EXTEND
THAT TO 10 DAYS.
"THE SPONSORS OF THE
LEGISLATION SAY
WOULD GIVE FEDERAL
INVESTIGATORS MORE
TIME TO LOOK INTO
YOUR BACKGROUND
AND SEE IF THERE IS
ANY REASON WHY YOU
SHOULD
SHOULD BE
SHOULD BE DENIED A GUN PERMIT OF ANY SORT."
THE FINAL PROPOSAL
WOULD REQUIRE
PEOPLE APPLYING TO
GET A HANDGUN PERMIT
TO GIVE UP THEIR
SOCIAL MEDIA
PASSWORDS AND
SEARCH-ENGINE
HISTORY... OPENING UP
ACCESS TO
INVESTIGATING
OFFICERS.
INVESTIGATING OFFICERS. "FOR OBVIOUS
REASONS, THIS SEEMS
TO BE THE MOST
CONTROVERSIAL."
"YEA, THE SOCIAL MEDIA
BILL IS CERTAINLY THE
MOST CONTROVERSIAL,
AND IT IS THE LONGEST
SHOT OUT OF ANY OF
THESE."
IT WAS INTRODUCED IN
THE SENATE... BUT SO
FAR DOESN'T EVEN HAVE
A SPONSOR IN THE
ASSEMBLY.
"I'D BE VERY SURPRISED
IF THE BILL AS IT STANDS
WITH THE PASSWORD
PROVISION IN IT GOT A
STRONG LOOK IN
ALBANY."
THESE BILLS WILL BE
DEBATED... WITH
PRESSURE ON
DEMOCRATS -- FROM
THEIR OWN BASE -- TO
TAKE
TAKE ADVANCE OF HAVING TOTAL CONTROL OF STATE GOVERNMENT.
"WE CERTAINLY BELIEVE
IN KEEPING OUR
STREETS SAFE AND OUR
FAMILIES SAFE..."
TIM KENNEDY IS THE
ONLY STATE SENATOR
FROM WESTERN NEW
YORK NOW WITH THE
MAJORITY PARTY.
"BANNING BUMP
STOCKS IN THE STATE
OF NEW YORK IS
CERTAINLY SOMETHING
THAT SHOULD BE DONE."
WHILE NONE OF THESE
PROPOSALS WILL BE AS
CONTROVERSIAL AS THE
SAFE ACT...
WE STILL EXPECT SOME
STRONG OPPOSITION --
TO EVEN THE IDEA OF
"STRICTER" GUN LAWS.
MICHAEL WOOTEN,
CHANNEL 2 NEWS.