ALBANY

Expanding concealed gun law divides NY leaders

Joseph Spector
Albany Bureau Chief
Demonstrators are arrested outside of the U.S. Capitol during an Immigration rally in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and Temporary Protected Status (TPS), programs, at Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017.

ALBANY - A House bill passed late Wednesday to expand the right to carry concealed weapons drew condemnation from New York Democrats, while upstate Republicans supported the measure.

The bill, which was a top priority for the National Rifle Association, was blasted by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who led the state's effort to pass the controversial gun-control law called the SAFE Act in 2013.

"This legislation would let individuals from out-of-state convicted of certain crimes carry hidden, loaded weapons in New York, in violation of New York's much better, safer law," Cuomo said in a statement. "Only the NRA could propose something so ill-considered, dangerous and vile."

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Seven of the nine GOP House members in New York voted for the measure, while all Democratic House members voted against it. Reps. Peter King of Long Island and Dan Donovan of Staten Island were the only GOP House members to vote against it.

Rep. John Faso, R-Kinderhook, Columbia County, said the bill adds uniformity to the patchwork system of concealed-carry laws in the nation. In New York, a concealed-carry license can be applied for in the county where the applicant lives based on stringent criteria, but the state does not recognize licenses from other states.

“Gun regulations for law-abiding firearm owners are often confusing and redundant," Faso, whose district covers parts of the Hudson Valley and Southern Tier, said in a statement.

"This bill clarifies those regulations and allows individuals with valid state-issued concealed firearm permits to carry a concealed firearm in any other state that also issues similar permits. Rights guaranteed under the Second Amendment do not end at the state line."

The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which now faces an uncertain future in the Senate, would require each state to recognize concealed carry permits from every other state, regardless of state laws — basically how a driver's license is treated across the states.

Supporters said the act would also strengthen reporting requirements for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

"Establishing nationwide reciprocity will streamline regulations allowing permit holders to cross state lines without the worry of breaking the law," Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-New Hartford, Oneida County, said in a statement.

The bill passed 231 to 198.

Opponents said if the bill becomes law, it would infringe on New York's strong gun-control laws, called the SAFE Act, which were put on the books in 2013 following the school shootings in Newtown, Conn.

Democrats said the measure would let gun owners from states with limited laws come to New York, saying Congress should be strengthening gun-control laws in the wake of mass shootings.

Seventy-four percent of guns used in crimes in New York originated from other states, a report last year from Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said.

The latest bill, Schneiderman said, is a "lowest-common-denominator approach would undermine states’ basic responsibility to protect our communities — including by determining who may carry a concealed, loaded gun within our borders."

JSpector@Gannett.com

Joseph Spector is chief of USA TODAY Network's Albany Bureau. 

Includes reporting by USA TODAY staff writer Nicole Gaudiano.