What Are Your Rights? Governor Cuomo is Proposing Gun Storage Legislation

Announcer: The following segment is sponsored by Martin, Harding & Mazzotti.

Interviewer: Governor Andrew Cuomo made it clear during his “State of the State” address that new gun regulations were a top priority this year. Recently, a series of gun control measures were proposed, including a ban on bump stocks, expansions on background checks, and most recently, a new gun storage measure. Here to examine this most recent proposal is Managing Partner, Paul Harding from the law firm, Martin, Harding & Mazzotti. Good afternoon.

Paul: Hi.

Interviewer: Thank you so much for being here, Paul.

Paul: You’re welcome. You’re welcome.

Interviewer: All right. So, this is big. What exactly is required under the new gun storage measure being proposed in the legislature?

Paul: Pretty specific. What they’re saying is, anyone that has a firearm in their home, and if you have someone in your home under the age of 16, that firearm has to be locked up, either in a cabinet or in a safe. Or have a trigger lock on it, which prevents it from firing, or you’ll be in violation of the law.

Interviewer: Okay. So, if you don’t follow the law, what’s the penalty?

Paul: Well, that’s where a lot of debate happens. So, they’ve decided that they were gonna make it a misdemeanor. And the misdemeanor up to jail, up to one year. You know, and it’s something that’s probably gonna be happening throughout in New York State more than one likes to admit. So how they would enforce that would be the question, and the misdemeanor, again, serious enough penalty.

Interviewer: We’re seeing this flurry of new gun control measures and proposals. Why do you think that is?

Paul: Well, nationally, we see all kinds of things happening, you know, the Las Vegas shootings, school shootings. But really in New York, why we’re seeing this happen is we finally have the Democrats at all three levels. They’ve been looking at this for a long time, and now they have a chance to implement it. The Republicans had kinda held off on that. Didn’t like what they were seeing in some of the early drafts. But that’s why we’re gonna have this, and maybe some more gun control coming.

Interviewer: All right. And last off here, real quick, where is the proposal in the process, and what’s the next step?

Paul: Well, we’re gonna call it virtually a done deal. So it’s past the assembly, past the Senate, and the governor doesn’t seem to be making any changes. He’s gonna sign it. “It will be a new law soon,” is my read.

Interviewer: All right. Well, thanks for covering for us, so everybody has the heads up.

Paul: You’re welcome.