Foes, fans of NY gun control law rally at Capitol

By MICHAEL VIRTANEN, Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — About 500 opponents of New York’s new gun control law huddled against a bitter wind outside the state Capitol on Tuesday to chant for freedom and their constitutional right to bear arms while a smaller group inside praised lawmakers for backing the nation’s toughest law on gun restrictions.

Gun rights’ advocates, who criticized Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislators who enacted the law last month, recited the Pledge of Allegiance, sang the national anthem and took a collective oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution. The group Turn Albany Upside Down, a rally organizer, said both the quick passage of the measure and some provisions are unlawful. They called the seven-bullet limit on magazines “arbitrary and capricious.”

Inside the Capitol, about 75 members of One Million Moms for Gun Control and other groups thanked Cuomo and lawmakers for leadership in setting gun limits they expect to help reduce violence. They filled a staircase and cheered speakers, including Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh, who said the law’s provisions to prevent private gun sales without a background check, ban assault weapons, require pistol license renewals and restrict gun access by the mentally ill won’t be repealed or watered down.

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