When Jiverly Wong walked into a Binghamton immigrant services center this month and killed 13 people, he was legally permitted to have the 9 mm and .45-caliber handguns used in the rampage.
But that might not have been the case if state law had required him to periodically renew his gun license, contends two legislators proposing an end to what they call “New York's dangerous lifetime permit system.”
“That tragedy serves as a somber illustration of how critically important it is that our state licensing system be thorough, that the records be accurate and up-to-date and that handguns be accounted for,” said Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale, who is sponsoring the legislation with Manhattan state Sen. Eric Schneiderman.
The legislation would require license renewals every five years, allowing law enforcement agencies to better consider criminal convictions, changes in mental-health status or other causes for concern that occur once a permit has been issued.
Paulin had proposed the measure three years ago and again in 2007, but it met opposition from the gun lobby and never got out of committee in the Assembly. Read More
Source: lohud.com
