Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) took things personally in 2022 by signing a metric ton of new gun initiative bills following a mass shooting at a Tops grocery store in Buffalo, NY, and the Uvalde school shooting just 10 days later. The way she tried explaining her decimation of the Second Amendment as a way to do right by kids and parents who had been killed in these incidents. NYS released a summary of their changes.
- Background check requests for firearm, rifle, and shotgun transactions must be submitted to the New York State Police; dealers will no longer submit requests directly to FBI NICS.
- Background checks will be required for all ammunition purchases, and a “Proceed” response must be received prior to transferring ammunition to the purchaser.
- Ammunition background checks will be “Denied” if state records indicate that the purchaser is legally prohibited from receiving ammunition.
- To cover the expenses of the New York State background check system, there will be a $9.00 fee for firearm, rifle, and shotgun transactions and a $2.50 fee for ammunition transactions.
These aren’t the only changes they are making. Adding to their regulations on buying ammunition, they are trying their best to strengthen the laws in a way that they think will prevent crime. With ample overlapping restrictions, Hochul is trying to prevent as many people as she can from owning a firearm or ammo to shoot.
Steps like these not only infringe on the rights the Second Amendment was written to protect, but they also give the liberals that false sense of security. They keep trying to lie to all of us and tell us how we are feeling. The fact of the matter is that the police response in much of NY is far too slow in many areas of the state. These “rural” areas could easily have a 20-75 minute response time. Simply just because of how remote they are and how far the local State Trooper barracks are.
For these people, a trip to a proper gun shop can be a multi-hour effort too. Small towns don’t have enough volume of business to keep many open, and those that do often have to charge higher prices and lack the variety and layout of a big city. This means trips to the city to get what they want/need and missing out on supporting the small-town shops.
New laws, steps to exercise your rights, and fees like these only help fuel the black market for ammunition and increase the number of people who want to learn how to reload at home. A simple, time-consuming, and almost numbing process, it’s a great way to save money, custom-make rounds, and get the desired results. While many serious or frequent target shooters and hunters are already doing this, the average gun enthusiast hasn’t simply because the cost versus use doesn’t work out for that.
The very group these laws are aimed at, the criminals, will feel absolutely no repercussions or impacts from these new laws. It’s not like they won’t find a buyer for their ammo or get it from the same people who got them their firearm. Laws like these instead only inconvenience the law-abiding gun owner. If she wants to see real change in society, she needs to look closer to home.
The failed liberal policy of “ticket and release” for anything short of murder is horrific. It has emboldened criminals, and many know they can do what they want and still walk away with little to no repercussions for it. This doesn’t encourage good behavior; it only incentivizes it. Much the same, gun owners don’t feel respected as their rights as Americans are being trampled on.
Hochul needs to remember our rights don’t end where her fear begins.
