The State Police reluctantly turned over the SAFE Act data after declining to appeal an earlier court decision ordering them to do so, reports the Times Union.
The SAFE Act, or Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act, is a ban on so-called “assault weapons” and requires owners of said firearms wishing to be grandfathered in to register them.
The State Police didn’t want people knowing how many “assault weapons” owners had applied to register, but now that information has been made public knowledge.
Since Jan. 15, 2013, 23,847 people have registered a total of 44,485 “assault weapons.”
The data released by State Police was broken down by county, with New York taking first with 1,640 applicants and Hamilton coming in dead last with only 21 applicants, though the Bronx wasn’t far behind with 35 applicants.
The data was first requested under the state’s Freedom of Information Law, but State Police withheld it. Then, Rochester lawyer Paloma Capanna sued the state on behalf of local radio host Bill Robinson. The State Police ignored an appeal from Robinson and a judge agreed the non-response was a denial, ordering the State Police to cough up the stats.
The SAFE Act is supposed to make the world a safer place, but many believe it to be an intrusion of privacy, and the first step towards a national gun registry, something most Second Amendment enthusiasts emphatically condemn.
Moreover, it appears that by those low numbers many New Yorkers are refusing to comply with the registration mandate. Good for them!
(This article was written by Brent Rogers)
Unequivocal proof that even progressives hate the laws they pass.
Will it change their future behavior? No.