If two New York lawmakers from Brooklyn are successful at passing new draft legislation aimed at tightly restricting the sale of ammunition in the state, will legitimate gun owners there turn to reloading so they can maintain their firearms proficiency?
State Sen. Roxanne Persaud (D-19) and Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon (D-52), backed by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, drafted a bill that would place a strict limit on the number of bullets a gun owner could purchase over a 90-day time period. That cap would be no more than twice the amount of the capacity of the weapon every 90 days.
MSS looked in vain for actual language such a bill might contain, with no luck. BrooklynEagle.com reported that under the proposal, Section 270.00 of the New York State Penal Law would be amended to restrict ammunition sales.
In particular, Persaud and Simon said that under the current code, only pistols and revolvers are specifically regulated. The bills’ sponsors say this creates a “loophole” for those seeking to purchase ammunition for AR-15s and other semi-automatic rifles.
Penalty for the violation of this law would also be increased from a Class B misdemeanor, or not more than three months in jail and not more than $500 in fines, to a Class E felony, or up to four years in prison with a minimum of one year.
Based on their public statements, it’s evident that the two lawmakers know next to nothing about the subject of firearms and ammunition. Manufacturers don’t package ammunition with random numbers of cartridges. Would retailers in the state have to sell onesies and twosies to comply?
However, because anti-gun legislators in New York have a history of defying logic, the NRA has said they “will treat this legislation as another serious attempt to infringe on your constitutional right to self-defense.”
There were no mentions that handloading components might be similarly restricted. So we would assume legal, law-abiding New York State gun owners would respond to such a law with a wave of do-it-yourself activity and begin buying presses, powder, and primers. If so, Midsouth Shooters Supply will be here to help them.
