Legal/Law/Criminal Justice and Reform

Blue State Sneaks Two Gun Control Laws Past Voters In Budget Bill

Screenshot/Politico

New York lawmakers inserted two gun-control laws into the state’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget on Wednesday, one of which bans the popular Glock family of pistols.

Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the budget into law late after it was passed by the heavily Democratic state Legislature, part of a multi-document package, with the bans hidden on page 10 of a 314-page document. In the release, Hochul touted the ban on Glocks and a “first in the nation” law targeting the use of 3D printers to manufacture firearms or firearms parts, which face constitutional questions.

“NSSF knew this legislation was coming and warned antigun New York politicians against it,” National Shooting Sports Foundation spokesman Mark Oliva told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “However, they ignored warnings that their ban on the same handguns that New York State Police use is unconstitutional. They were warned that the state would again find itself in court attempting to defend the indefensible act of robbing New Yorkers of their Second Amendment rights. Governor Kathy Hochul and New York lawmakers learned nothing from the lessons of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Bruen decision.”

The Supreme Court’s June 2022 ruling in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen struck down New York’s “discretionary” concealed-carry permit law on Second Amendment grounds. Oliva told the DCNF that the NSSF warned about potential legal challenges to the ban since Hochul called for it in January.

Glock pistols are widely recognized for their popularity in the United States among civilians and law enforcement agencies and is frequently listed among top-selling firearms by publications such as Guns and Guns and Ammo magazine. According to a 2018 press release issued by the company, the Glock 19X model achieved sales of over 100,000 units within the first six months following its introduction.

“It is only revealing their contempt for their own citizens and the U.S. Constitution, along with the continued coddling of criminals when they attack those who obey the law and refuse to hold criminals accountable for their crimes,” Oliva said. “This is not where NSSF wants to be but we will again find ourselves in court defending the ability for law-abiding citizens to purchase lawfully-made and sold firearms. It’s also clear that Governor Hochul has no concerns about wasting taxpayer dollars in vain attempts to infringe on those rights.”

The Glock ban has been pushed by some anti-Second Amendment lawmakers to address so-called “Glock switches” that are used to illegally convert Glock pistols into machine guns. According to current federal law, the possession or manufacture of fully-automatic firearms is prohibited unless the firearm is registered or approved by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) pursuant to the National Firearms Act of 1934.

NSSF’s RightSideofLegal.org website notes that having a machine-gun conversion device can lead to ten years in federal prison and up to a $250,000 in fines.

“Governor Hochul’s latest attack on law-abiding New Yorkers is yet another unconstitutional assault on the Second Amendment. Banning or restricting 3D printers won’t disarm criminals—who already ignore every gun law on the books—but it will strip responsible citizens of their right to make lawful firearms at home, a practice as old as our Republic itself,” NRA-ILA Executive Director John Commerford told the DCNF. “This misguided effort to criminalize technology and digital information is pure political theater that does nothing to enhance public safety”