There’s such a split in how urban and rural dwellers experience guns. It’s probably hard for rural gun supporters to understand just how common it is for city residents to be hit by stray gunfire — often, when they’re home sleeping in their own beds. They can’t relate to the sense of violation and outrage, because they rarely experience anything like it. But both factions in the New York state house managed to come together long enough to put aside those differences and pass a comprehensive gun bill yesterday. Congratulations! We don’t see much real bipartisan cooperation these days:
New York lawmakers on Tuesday approved the toughest gun control law in the nation, expanding the state’s existing assault weapons ban and addressing gun ownership by those with mental illnesses in the first major legislative action in response to the Newtown, Conn., school massacre.
The measure passed the state Assembly 104-43 after passing the state Senate 43-18 Monday. Gov. Andrew Cuomo quickly signed the legislation on Tuesday.
“This unfortunately required tragedies and loss of life to actually spur the political process to action,” Cuomo said in remarks minutes before signing the bill.
“This will be the toughest gun control package in the nation,” Sen. Jeffrey Klein, leader of the Independent Democratic Conference that shares majority control with Republican senators, had told The Associated Press. “All in all, it is a comprehensive, balanced approach that will save lives.”
In a statement Tuesday, the National Rifle Association said it was “outraged” and called New York’s gun control bill “draconian.”
Twenty suburban elementary kids matter. We get some spotty assault rifle bans. Thousands of black teenage boys don’t matter. We will never get a handgun ban. The latter would do ten times the former to bring down gun deaths.