SHERIFFS OPPOSE NEW YORK’S NEW GUN CONTROL LAWS

Last May, 54 of Colorado’s 64 sheriffs challenged the state’s new gun control laws in federal court. The complaint stated that the effect of the ammunition law’s “various provisions is the widespread ban on functional firearms,” according to the complaint. “The prohibition of so many box and tube magazines of any size, and the prohibition of magazines greater than 15 rounds, directly and gravely harm the ability of law-abiding citizens to use firearms for lawful purposes, especially self- defense.”

Also in May, the New York State Sheriffs Association and five individual sheriffs joined a court effort by the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association to block enforcement of Gov. Cuomo’s new gun control law. The new law bans sales of some popular semi-automatic rifles and gives owners a year to register those they already have. It also limited magazine capacity in most cases to only seven rounds.

The new gun controls are strongly opposed in New York’s upstate rural counties. Cuomo had the support of his fellow Democrats and was able to ramrod his strict gun controls through the legislature with the help of big city Republicans.

In joining the New York State Sheriffs Association lawsuit, the sheriffs wrote in their amicus brief: “Law enforcement’s work is made more difficult attempting to enforce unclear laws that harm, rather than promote, public safety. The laws appear willfully blind to legitimate safety interests, and instead are tailored to impact, and negatively impact, law-abiding firearm owners.”

Several upstate sheriffs have been outspoken in their opposition to Cuomo’s gun controls and have indicated they will not enforce the new laws.

When they joined the lawsuit, Cuomo summoned the sheriffs to his office and allegedly told them he did not want them to speak out publicly about their opposition to the new law. It has also been alleged that Cuomo threatened to fire any sheriff who refused to enforce the new law. The power to fire sheriffs is given to New York's chief executive under the state constitution.