Cue eye-roll: NY Senate passes strict new gun controls

New Yorkers who actually invest in a bit of firearm protection will be limited to just seven bullets and prohibited from purchasing assault rifles -- that is, if the state Senate has its way.  Although existing assault rifles would be grandfathered in under the proposed new law, the bill requires any and all gun magazines that hold eight or more bullets to be modified, relinquished or taken out of state.

The state's strict new gun control law probably won't do anything to lower gun crime rates, but it will have significant impact elsewhere, as NRO's Robert VerBruggen notes:

If the goals are to make target shooting inconvenient and to make law-abiding gun owners feel under siege, the bill will surely accomplish them.

The New York State Assembly is expected to vote on the legislation today and Gov. Cuomo says he'll sign the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act (NY SAFE -- isn't that clever?) into law.

The bill also mandates a life-without-parole prison sentence for anyone who murders a first responder.  The so-called "Webster provision" is a response to the Christmas Eve shooting in which two firefighters were shot and killed while responding to a fire alarm.

(Obviously the murders of the first responders in Monroe County were horrific and tragic, but why should the punishment for murdering a fireman be any different than murdering anyone else?  If a gang member shoots you dead in the street, should they not face the same punishment for murder as the deranged lunatic that sets an intricate trap for first responders?  Is one murder worse than another murder?)

"It is comprehensive. It is sound," Cuomo said Monday. "It addresses the multifaceted problem that we're dealing with. It protects, I believe, hunters and sportsmen, et cetera, and legitimate gun owners." (emphasis mine)

Great, problem solved --no more gun crimes in New York! (Yeah, right.)