A coalition of gun rights organizations, including the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), the National Rifle Association (NRA), and the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York to block a state law that bans the sale and transfer of semi-automatic handguns, such as those with a cruciform trigger bar.
Background
The disputed measure, which goes into effect on May 31, 2027, makes it a Class D felony for licensed dealers or gunsmiths to sell, transfer, dispose of, or ship a ‘convertible pistol,’ with penalties of up to seven years in prison and fines of $5,000 or more. The law also requires the Superintendent of the New York State Police to maintain an annual registry of pistols deemed convertible into machine guns.
Gun control proponents argue that the design of these firearms allows them to be modified into fully automatic weapons using aftermarket conversion devices. However, gun rights advocates argue that the restriction violates the Second Amendment by prohibiting semi-automatic handguns that are in common use across the country.
‘Not to be outdone by their West Coast gun-grabbing counterparts in California, New York lawmakers made providing some of the most common handguns in America to law-abiding New Yorkers punishable by seven years in prison,’ said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. ‘And let’s not forget that it was also New York that was already smacked down by the Supreme Court for infringing on the right to carry in NYSRPA v. Bruen. Now these lawmakers seem intent to be reminded that SCOTUS has also already been clear that handguns, the ‘quintessential’ arm of choice for self-defense, are protected under the Second Amendment.’
Gun Rights Advocates’ Position
Gun rights advocates maintain that existing federal and state laws already penalize the illegal modification of semi-automatic firearms. ‘Lawmakers in New York are doing nothing more than continuing their unconstitutional assault on law-abiding citizens who want to exercise their Second Amendment rights in peace,’ said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. ‘Making someone a criminal for selling or transferring a handgun merely because someone can illegally convert those firearms into something they are not is absurd. It’s already illegal to convert these pistols into machineguns and the conversion itself requires possession of other illegal items, but lawmakers persist in focusing on the handgun and not the criminals who will continue committing crimes with or without this new law in place.’
Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.
