N.Y. push vs. killer ‘bumps’
ALBANY — Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie on Monday called for a complete ban on bump stock devices in New York.
Heastie, a Bronx Democrat, said the Democratic-controlled Assembly will take up legislation in the coming weeks that makes it a crime to “sell, possess, manufac- ture or transport devices” that transform semiautomatic guns into automatics.
Such a device was used by the shooter in the Las Vegas massacre that killed 58 people in October.
“Legislation like this is a common-sense step in our battle to combat this horrible problem,” Heastie said.
State law currently bans the use of bump stocks but does not prevent their sale or possession. A spokesman for Gov. Cuomo expressed support for Heastie’s plan.
“We would support legislation that builds upon our strongest-inthe-nation gun safety laws and further restricts possession of these deadly killing machines,” said spokesman Rich Azzopardi.
New York State Rifle and Pistol Association President Tom King blasted Heastie’s proposal and said regulation of the devices should be left to the federal government.
“This is the usual knee-jerk response,” King, an NRA board member, said of Heastie’s call for a ban.
The bump stocks ban was part of a lengthy Assembly agenda for the year that Heastie outlined. He also called for the Assembly to again pass the Child Victims Act, which makes it easier for child sex abuse victims to seek justice as adults, and to address the funding needs of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Heastie said MTA funding options will include congestion pricing and new taxes on the wealthy.
“With the actions that Washington has taken, there will be a windfall for some people and we believe, again as New Yorkers, those who are doing well can contribute to the overall betterment of the state,” Heastie said.
A spokesman for the GOP-controlled state Senate did not comment on Heastie’s agenda, but Senate leaders are likely to oppose any tax hikes.
In remarks to the Senate on Monday, Majority Leader John Flanagan (R-Suffolk County) said his chamber would be focused on “affordability, opportunity and security” in 2018.
“In regard to the MTA, they clearly need our help, but so does Rochester,” Flanagan said.