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The New York Times reports that Governor Andrew M. Cuomo is putting together a package of gun control measures for the Empire State. In a radio interview, Cuomo said he was working with legislators to change state laws “restricting the possession of assault weapons: and high-capacity ammunition magazines.” Change as in ban. But wait, aren’t they banned already? “The governor described the state’s existing ban on those items as having ‘more holes than Swiss cheese.” Strangely (sadly?), Cuomo doesn’t anticipate any opposition. “’I don’t think legitimate sportsmen are going to say, ‘I need an assault weapon to go hunting,’ he said. At the same time, he noted that he owns a shotgun that he has used for hunting, and said, ‘There is a balance here — I understand the rights of gun owners; I understand the rights of hunters.'” The Governor’s idea of balance includes this little gem: “Confiscation could be an option. Mandatory sale to the state could be an option. Permitting could be an option — keep your gun but permit it.”

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103 COMMENTS

  1. Operation Northwood was planned as an excuse to go to war with Cuba until President Kennedy found out about it and stopped its execution, a trumped up attack on a U. S. destroyer by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in 1964 was used as an excuse to get us involved in Vietnam, the Kennedy assassination was used as an excuse to pass the 1968 NFA, and the Oklahoma City Murrah building bombing in 1995 was used as an excuse to pass the Domestic Terrorism bill which failed to pass in 1993, and the 9/11/2001 attack is used to continually strip Americans of their Constitutional rights, the school shooting in Connecticut is being used as an excuse to strip American gun owners of their guns. Do you see a pattern here?

      • President Obama masterminded Operation Northwood, the Gulf of Tonkin, the Kennedy assasination, the OKC bombing, 9-11, AND Newport?!

        Holy shit! The man is a master criminal with a time machine and a mind control ray! He must be stopped immediately!!

        Quick, to the Derpmobile!!!

        • No, troll, he means that statists of every stripe use every opportunity they have to chip away at individual rights and replace them with father-knows-best collectivism handed down by the elites who know best.

    • yup. you nailed it.

      i see a pattern of government doing whatever it pleases with no regard to the lives that are imperiled by such actions in the name of power and money.

      Nothing like a bucket of cold conspiracy fact to wake you up in the morning.

  2. Government troops going door to door to ransack houses and confiscate legally owned property? Does this sound like a reasonable response to a lone mad man’s actions? Between this dummies statement and Barry dumping the mess in Biden’s lap I feel the worst of the threat to the modern sporting rifles is past.

    When everybodies had a chance to cool off we’ll see barry co-opting our plan to put armed citizens in schools and taking credit for it.

      • And that’s a bad thing because… ?

        I subscribe to the utilitarian philosophy that says it matters less how you get what you want, than the fact that you DID get what you wanted.

        In earlier, less-partisan times these outcomes would have been the result of cooperation and partnership. Now, there always has to be a winner getting credit for everything, and a bitter loser whose ideas got stolen. Not the most healthy dynamic for a representative democracy.

        • My comment wasn’t meant to either as praise or condemnation of the President’s healthcare or fiscal policies. Rather, was just pointing out, for all his most ardent supporters like to flaunt his intellect and “pragmatism,” the guy’s about as piss-poor negotiator as I’ve ever seen. (Unless of course, you don’t buy into the assumption that his interests are the same as his most ardent supporters. I don’t buy into assumpions. You’ve all heard the one about what you do when you “assume.”)

          Take, healthcare for example. Prior to that becoming the “national debate” (a/k/a televised hyper-partisan non-productive mudslinging screaming match) du jour, he’d already taken single-payer (a/k/a government-funded universal healthcare) off the table. I know enough self-proclaimed “liberals” or “progressives” to know that was what they believed was in store when they voted for the guy and crowed about all this hope & change that was coming down the pike. What did they get instead? A government mandate that they better go find a job, buy their own health insurance, or fork over a hefty fee to the federal government. The exact same plan (save the mandatory part with civil penalty enforcement) that the conservative thinktank the Heritage Foundation put up as a counterproposal to President Clinton’s healthcare reform proposals back in 1992. Oh, I guess they got a sheepish Obama telling them, “Hey, we at least did something,” too, I’m sure that was consoling.

          Now, I don’t fancy myself a master negotiator, but I think I know a few of the rules. The biggest no-no is making the first offer. You’re never supposed to expect the other party’s gonna take it, no matter how good they view it, they’re expect to ask for more concessions. So, this guy not only made the first offer, but he did it in the form of a concession without any offer of a reciprocal concession. In essence, he spearheaded a giant tax-payer giveaway to the insurance industry. But, hey, I guess at least he did something, that’s what counts, or something.

          I guess that’s why I’m remaining optimistic re: any proposed gun legislation. Obama is a terrible negotiator who hasn’t delivered on anything the far-lefties think they put him in office to accomplish. He hasn’t closed Gitmo, still has our soldiers over in Afghanistan for reasons entirely unknown, hasn’t repealed the Bush tax cuts, is now proposing Social Security spending cuts, and didn’t enact any regulations that’ll stop wildly out-of-control Wall Street speculation from tanking the economy again. These are all things that his most ardent supporters thought they were gonna get, along with single-payer healthcare. The most vocal of the supporters were also the same cable news & Internet blog pundits who’ve been so giddily waving the bloody shirts and dancing on kiddie coffins celebrating this reinstated AWB that they believe is gonna be a certainty.

          Basically, what I’m saying is that I’m not gonna get too terrified just yet. However, the NRA, GOA, & SAF can expect my $$$ soon. It’s certainly no time to ease up on diligence if the Constitution is important to you in the least.

        • Wasn’t saying it was a bad thing. Was more pointing out that the ultra left wingers have been let down by this guy way more than not, so now is the time for diligence by those of us who want to see our constitutionally-protected freedoms moreso than despair. I know the NRA, GOA, & SAF are gonna be getting some scratch from me soon.

  3. The sad thing is I know a lot of hunters who are borderline anti-gun. They see no need to carry a handgun for defensive use and have the same AWB argument stated above about “assault rifles.”

    If we can not unite as a community and all fight together, I have a feeling we will fall

  4. Permitting would not have stopped any of the past spree murders, if we had universal permitting today it would only facilitate confiscation.

    • No it wouldnt have stopped them but it would save us law abiding gun owners a headache. Traveling north or south of NY is a bad gamble if you bring your guns.

      • Are we talking about the same permits? I was under the impression Cumo is suggesting each and every firearm is permitted/registered with the state (“keep your gun but permit it”). How would that help residents of NY’s border states?
        If you’re talking about a national carry permit and I’m talking about total registration then the hoplophobes’ use of ambiguous doublespeek is working for them.

        • No worries Memphis, I think the reason they use the wrong terms is to confuse us, and the followers don’t know or care, as long as their scary fears are soothed. They might not present logical arguments, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t thought it through.

    • For once, I’m 100% in agreement with the “this will lead directly to confiscation” camp. When a politician uses “permitting” as an alternative to outright confiscation, that translates to “permits now, confiscation later, but we’ll get around to you eventually.”

  5. I keep seeing how hunters are almost anti-gun, or ‘Fudds’… Where I live in NC, that isnt the case at all. Ive not run into one hunter that supports any sort of ban or restriction. It must depend on what part of the country youre from. If any of this passes, it will fan the fire of the succession talk brought on by Obamacare. This country gets more divided by the day…

    • A divided country plays into the democrats ideology because it forces dependency on gov’t. Obama has started and continues class warfare as a policy.

    • Permitting=now we know who you are and what you have, aka we will be there shortly to confiscate them, without due diligence or reimbursement.
      Oh you say you sold them, no record of sale, please put your hands behind your back and come with us quietly you gun smuggling guilty bastard!!!
      Wonder how he would feel if he had to be a free speech permit holder before he could speak. What you lost your free speech permit? Open wide…we have to confiscate your tongue and throat since you have no permit!! You need to breathe to survive?? You should have kept your permit on you, so sorry.

  6. hey Andie, how are those strict gun control laws workin out for ya? About as well as you drug laws from what I can see. ESAD

  7. We need to start being louder about the fact that the 2nd Amendment makes no mention if hunting. The Founders did NOT intend this as the only legitimate use for firearms.

    • Correct, in the debates leading up to the bill of rights some drafts of the 2A included hunting in it’s justification (as did some state constitutions), I assume it was left out of the final draft for just this reason.

    • Hunting was kind of a given. The founders would not have brought it up. In those days if you lived in some rural areas you either hunted, or you starved.

    • With respect, get louder to who? Those that will listen are on our side already, those that are not on our side don’t give a flying F what we or the Constitution has to say. I believe this is an attempt to strip us of our right to self determination and as their play book says, the ends justify the means.

      • If what you say is true about there being two camps and everyone is already firmly and forever ensconced in one of them, why do the President and the other anti-gun politicians misrepresent the truth so much. If what you say is true then they’d come right out and say, “Lets get ’em boys! We’re gonna take every last one of their guns.” Instead they seem to be worried about maintaining the spell over their followers, and on some level are worried about losing some of them.

        I’m with those among us who think it is worth speaking up to counter the lies. If the anti-gun leadership feels that they need to lie to preserve their support, then they think the truth will weaken that support. Let’s do just that. Speak the truth and give ’em hell.

  8. First they came for the black assault rifles, but I did not object because I had no black assault rifles.

    Then they came for the high-capacity magazines, but I did not object because I had no high-capacity magazines.

    Then they came for the sniper rifles, but I did not object because I had no sniper rifles but they took my hunting rifles anyway.

    Then they came for the sawed off shotguns, but I did not object because I had no sawed off shotguns.

    Then they came for the handguns, but I did not object because I had no handguns.

    Then they came for the hunting rifles, but I did not object because I had no hunting rifles.

    Then they came for the rest of my guns, but I did not object because I had had no other guns.

    Then they came for the right to vote, but I did not object because I did not vote.

  9. “Permitting could be an option — keep your gun but permit it.”

    That is quite a different position than confiscation. If the guns are supposedly too dangerous how does permitting make them less dangerous? He’s probably not stating that various new and more stringent right to own standards would be included.

    Much of NY is still a European colony.

    • It is confiscation, just delayed while they research/record who to confiscate from then wait for another calamity to stir the pot. And I don’t mean to dissagree about the new standards that come along with for the mean time.

      • You are right. I completely agree with you. Permitting is simply a way for them to prep to later confiscate. You can always disagree with me. Anyone can.

    • The new requirement will be likely be a needs based type of thing, where correction officers and LEO will continue to get a free pass and no one else except the well-connected privileged few will qualify. Like how things are within Bloomberg’s toxic bubble now. And I’m sure there’ll be a steep tax/permit required for each gun. To be renewed yearly of course.

    • This isn’t directed at you personally, Paul M, you’re just the gazillionth person I’ve seen repeat this line lately.

      This is a terrible argument, and makes us look like idiots. In the minds of the anti-gun fascists, if everyone would just get on board and unilaterally disarm then violence would decline… and their bodyguards wouldn’t be needed. According to them, they only have bodyguards because there are crazy people with guns out there, and frankly, they think WE are likely to be those people.

    • Amuse half of his supporters, alienate the rest, and royally piss off anyone who didn’t start out agreeing with him?

      Oh, sorry, perhaps that was intended to be a rhetorical question. I’ve just seen the Ted Nugent PR Freakshow too many times to know that letting him represent anything of strategic value is a Bad Idea.

  10. Does it scare the crap out of anybody else that the Governor of a state (even New York) is actually seriously considering confiscating Americans guns?

    • What he says and what he does are two different things. That one statement made the liberal left crowd shout in glee, which is his base. That does not mean he will do it. He can say stuff like that because there are not enough votes on the other side to hurt him.

  11. And just what would registration accomplish? Both the Clackamass shooter and the Sandy Hook shooter stole their firearms. The Aurora shooter had no disabilities of record, so he still would have lawfully obtained his rifle, ewven if he head had to register it. There is no need to trace the firearms involved in any of these cases, or the Gifford shootings. Thus the only purpose potentially served by registration is to allow confiscation. In some cases that could be a good thing, lkike taking guns away from a man who has threatened to kill his wife. The rest of the time, not so much. Maybe we should press the banners to have them explain the “reasonable ourpose” to be served, and not let them off with the “it’s for public safety” nonsense that has no rational basis.

  12. I work on a boat. So a “horrific boating accident” where all of my guns are lost, could become a very real possibility should something like this come to pass.

      • That is also assuming all the LEO’s who are NRA members, lord knows how many are GOA or members of some other organization turn their backs.
        Oh then we have the military. The Mormon won that group by like 40 points.
        So all these folks would need to essentially turn their backs on protecting the American people?? I don’t think so..
        Don’t get me wrong if they were ever that stupid, it would get very ugly.

        • Agree. I’ve been making this point for a while. Our military, at least not all of it, is not going to support a blatant dictatorship.

        • The other interesting note is the military code of justice their job is to protect the American people, not the government.
          In fact I have heard from parents that their NCO’s have asked if they would take up arms against Americans. Of course they said no. It sounds like their officers are testing the waters if things go south.

  13. I do believe legislation can happen, but confiscation? Just cant see it happening. There would be such an uprising, especially in the southern states. That would make no sense at all.

    • He is talking New York State only. He will not confiscate but he could require a permit to keep and own and charge $400 a year to renew thus eliminating them altogether economically like the migrate taxes they have.

  14. Socialism, facism, communism, it all boils down to THEM vs. US. The anti’s want what we have. I am not speaking of firearms. They want ALL that we have. As a historian, I see our politicians doing the same exact things that have been done by all politicos, prior to popular unrest setting in.
    It is a matter of when at this point, not if. But as this rears it’s ugly head, are you really prepared for this? Take stock of what you have available, how long it will last, then store extra.

  15. New York everyone!

    Are you REALLY surprised? Like deep down?

    In a state that includes New York City, where a citizen can’t be trusted with a concealed handgun or a large Coke, are you really surprised?

    I truly think that there should be a separation of the pro-freedom states from the pro-nanny states. Maybe not secession but something to separate the increasingly different sets of American values that we are seeing here.

    As an example: My state has just submitted 4 house bills which include Constitutional Carry, the removal of Governor “emergency powers”, carry in churches and campus carry, and New York talks gun confiscation…

    • As a NY resident, I think you’re just as bad as he is. How many times have you, fellow countrymen, sat by and let us be thrown to the wolves. We ARE TRYING to stop this maniac, but WE NEED YOUR HELP. I urge everyone reading this to send this article to NRA-ILA. Yes, the NRA is already aware, but we need a MASSIVE signal boost here in NY or this could become a reality.

      A reality I refuse to comply with.

      I understand that NY sucks – trust me, I live in it. But that doesn’t mean we’re not worth fighting for! Don’t let this lapdog of Bloomburg represent us all, Upstate NY is completely different than NYC and it’s outlying counties. Stop painting us all with the same brush. It’s insulting and divisive. Your comment is stupid. “Should anyone be surprised.”

      YOU SHOULD BE SURPRISED A GOVERNOR IN THIS DAY AND AGE IS EVEN CONSIDERING CONFISCATION, YOU SHOULD BE OUTRAGED.

      Just because you don’t live here doesn’t give you the right to just sit back and watch the world burn.

      • Thrawn, you choose to live in that hell hole. Don’t blame us because we either had the luck to be born in a better state or chose to move to a better state. No one is holding you hostage and preventing you from moving to a state that respects your Second Amendment rights.

        • Toten,

          We don’t agree on everything, but the attitude to say to hell with others because they live in a different state is not helpful. Gun owners need to stick together and present a unified front. Illinois could be on the brink of a 2A victory, and California is a major gun market despite our crappy laws.

        • Let me just get on my magic job in a different state pants, get my magic move to a different state hat, and get some money off the money tree in my backyard. Economic freedom is a lot tougher in real life than it is on the internet, guy.

          Trust me, I want to live in Vermont but RIGHT NOW that’s not possible.

          I should not be told to leave my life-long home and the beautiful ADK mountains because some keyboard warrior hates NY as much as I do. This is MY home. I will fight for it.

          I’ll have you know I’ve lent my efforts and money to the plight of other states, such as CA and IL, so don’t patronize me and tell me I deserve it for living here.

          Your post screams apathy. Apathy is death.

        • Thrawn, don’t mind Toten. Much. He’s kind of a dick most of the time. Not quite troll territory, but it’s best not to feed him. IMHO.

          And I’m right there with you on the jobs/moving thing. I LOVE living in the SF Bay Area, with a few notable exceptions including gun laws and places to shoot. It would be a big blow to my career to relocate elsewhere.

        • Accur81, it doesn’t matter WHAT the rest of us say. We do not live in those states, thus we have no influence over their legislature. Besides, the overwhelming majority of the citizens in those states crap their pants and the sight of a squirt gun, let alone a real gun. They are a lost cause and getting an attitude with people who are sick of listening to the whining of those who choose to live in a lousy state doesn’t help anything, it just makes you look like a jerk.

          “This is MY home. I will fight for it.”

          And you will lose, Thrawn. The people of New York made up their mind decades ago that guns scare them and must be banned. You spitting into the wind won’t change that. Only something such as a Supreme Court ruling will change the laws there (such as in Illinois) – the normal democratic process is a lost cause there. Don’t get mad at me for pointing out the futility of your fight – you know how lousy your fellow New Yorkers are just as well as I do.

          Yea, Alpha, pointing out cold hard facts is just SO MEAN. Why can’t I just encourage people to waste their time and money on a lost cause instead of recommending a solution that would actually work? God, I’m just so horrible for trying to help them achieve the lifestyle they want…

  16. Concealed carry in NJ is also an option. The only catch? Pretty much nobody can legally exercise that option. You’ll get denied every time. So when he says “permitting is an option” that’s just a euphemism for a total ban.

  17. This is a nation divided, the likes of which has never been seen since our civil war. It’s not just about guns, it is about a concerted Mainstream Media effort, that for years on end, has been on a mission to abolish our Constitution, except for the first amendment of course. That is the one that protects THEM. This fact is so well documented that it cannot be disputed.

    Conservatives by definition are much more low key than these people. We respect other people’s opinions, while at the same time we are vitriollically burned at the stake. And, still we take it in stride. There comes a time when, with our backs at the edge of the cliff, we have to collectively decide whether our way of life must be given away for the sake of a low key solution.

    The next few years will define this nation forever, I just hope it doesn’t go the way of all the other great civilizations of our time, when principles where abandoned because of the fear of losing our “comfort zones”.

  18. “Confiscation could be an option” after the first NY gun owner is murdered by the state for refusing to surrender their gun(s), I would be very interested to see how long it took before they came for Cuomo, law makers should think long and hard about what potential consequences their action could have for their authors, Oleg Volk has a great commentary on his blog on this subject.

  19. The whole “nobody needs an AR for hunting” is just a transparent attempt to co-opt hunters and divide them from the rest of us. Why? Because an AR ban cannot be enacted if the hunters unite against it, that’s why.

    A similar argument was made in England. Hunters were told that nobody needed a handgun for hunting, so the hunters sat around with their thumbs up their collective arses. Once the handguns were purged, they moved on the hunting rifles. When the hunters squealed, the handgunners told them to ES&D.

    History repeats like radishes.

    • We need lots more pictures of people hunting with AR-based rifles. We know it’s a real phenomenon, but nothing convinces like visuals.

  20. confiscation is a tall order-

    The Government Accounting Office (i.e. the Federal Government’s official accountants) estimate that that there are at least 8 million active concealed hand gun permit holder in the US as of December 31, 2011. http://www.gao.gov/assets/600/592552.pdf

    Put in perspective; if all 8m of them were in one city they would:

    -Equal the population of New York City as per the 2010 US Census.

    -Equal the combined population of: Albuquerque, NM; Tucson, Az; Fresno, Ca; Sacramento, Ca; Long Beach, Ca; Kansas City, Mo; Mesa, Az; Virginia Beach, Va; Atlanta, Ga; Colorado Springs, Co;. Omaha, Ne;. Raleigh, N.C.; Miami, Fl;. Cleveland, Oh; Tulsa, Ok; Oakland, Ca; Minneapolis, Mn; Wichita, Ka; and Arlington, Tx, according to the 2010 US Census.

    8M permit holders is:
    -more than the 2010 populations of 38 US states according to the 2010.US Census. Go to the 2010 column, go down to VA and keep going http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_population

    Compared to professional sports 8m permit holders is:
    -2m more than the total NBA attendance for the 2013 season as of December 20, 2012 (81 games per team) according to ESPN’s attendance figures.

    -1m more than attended all of the NY Yankee’s and Philadelphia Phillies’ home games combined in the 2011-2012 season according to ESPN’s attendance figures.

    -about equal to the 2011-2012 combined total attendance of attendance of these MLB teams: Seattle, Oakland, Houston, Cleveland, and Tampa Bay according to ESPN’s attendance figures.

    According to the Violence Policy Center there have been 499 homicides not ruled self defense committed by concealed carry permit holders in the five years since 2007. http://www.vpc.org/ccwkillers.htm (Mr Kraft can comment on these numbers further I’m sure)

    Firearms are conservatively estimated to be used 1.5 million times each year for lawful defense according to a 1997 report by the DOJ’s National institute of justice http://www.tscm.com/165476.pdf page 8 and 9.

  21. New York wants to out do Kalifornia for the most fascist state in America? Well hope the courts throw out Adolf Cuomo’s Nazi plans.

  22. Confiscation???? Bring it on, Gov’ner…. Have you ever heard the phrase, “Hell hath no fury….”? Well, bring it on, Gov’ner….. To quote Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. “There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.” As during the American Revolution, Patriots will hide behind every rock, bush and tree.

    Want to start a second American Revolution, Gov’ner? Bring it on……

  23. And gun owners still won’t boycott products and services from wealthy and oppressive anti gun states like NY, NJ, CT, MA, IL and CA, to reduce their clout and ability to influence the laws that affect the rest of us. Must be easier to complain instead . . .

  24. Do y’all remember the scene from Shooter at the end “but I’m a United States Senator” the photo of Cuomo at the top of this page has the same look on his face as the movie…… just before he took two to the head.

  25. The governor must see the that many law abiding people are leaving New York State due to the high income taxes, high property tax, and high sales tax. As a law abiding registered gun owner, this could be the last straw. Our ineffective reactive politicians are creating a situation where the only people with guns are the police and criminals. There are other states to move to where the regulations on gun control and high taxes aren’t as binding to the average law abiding man. Perhaps the governor does not know that NY has one of the most strict gun laws in the country. Gun confiscation, why not? We already have confiscatory property tax policy in New York State! Freedom to Move

  26. Move. Even in this economy there are jobs to be had If you are willing to do the job.
    I have lived all over the US and the world and even though we still have a few gun free zone laws we are gun friendly. We have concealed carry, we have a shit load of hunters, firearms manufacturers, IDPA is based out of our state and we would welcome more gun friendly people.
    And you don’t have to worry, moving here will not automatically turn you into a drunken redneck hillbilly, you have to do that on your own!!

  27. 1, Section 9, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution.
    Clause 1. The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a Tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.
    Clause 2. The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.
    Clause 3. No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed. (grandfather clause)
    The governor of New York and US Senator Diane Feinstein have suggested new laws that include the possible confiscation of existing private property by declaring semi-automatic rifles as contraband with no “grandfather clause”
    In their world they detest the Constitution.
    Now here is a quote from Section 9 Clause 3 for Article 1 of the Constitution of the United States of America.
    Clause 3. No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.
    They will try and scare us that they want to and then to make themselves appear as reasonable, they will the compromise for 100% registration and licensing of Long Guns just like NYC. And Im sure that some gun owners will say Gee that sound fair to me. But licensing all guns and long guns is an infringement on American’s right to bear arms. His statement of what is on the table are all illegal in the USA.

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