ALBANY -- Supporters and opponents of the state's new gun restrictions rallied at the Capitol, with buses from New York City and Buffalo bringing their respective groups.
More than 2,000 people were on lawn in front of the Capitol to protest the NY SAFE Act. Others we inside the Capitol to show their support for the legislation.
The organization Turn Albany Upside Down says both the quick passage and some provisions in the NY SAFE Act are unlawful, calling the seven-bullet legal limit on magazines "arbitrary and capricious."
"This piece of legislation that was rammed down our throats had one goal. That man, Governor Cuomno is intent on being President of the United States," one speaker, State Senator Greg Ball told the crowd.
Organizer Stewart Rhodes led the crowd in a chant, "We will not comply."
Some lawmakers in Oswego County are calling for a repeal of the NY SAFE Act, and a resolution goes before the full Oswego County Legislature on Thursday. Oswego County is among a growing list of counties that have publicly denounced the gun control legislation. Similar resolutions are being considered in Ontario, Jefferson, and Ulster counties.
One speaker, David Guy who is running for Syracuse Common Council told CNY Central's Jim Kenyon, "In Oswego County they've outright rejected this in the County Legislature. So there are options on a local level to convince your Sheriff or County Legislature to say they won't enforce the law."
Around Central New York, citizens have gathered at town hall meetings to voice their concerns over the recently passed legislation.
The New York State Sheriff’s Association came out with a four page position paper last month praising the legislation for several points, including better record keeping, more severe penalties for killing emergency first responders, and illegal weapons use. The state’s sheriffs are critical of other provisions including the definition of assault weapons and the enforceability of several points, including recertification of pistol permits and gun registration.
The last Republican candidate for New York governor, Carl Paladino, says the state's new gun law shows Gov. Andrew Cuomo's clear liberal bent and the failure by state Senate Republicans to stand for conservative values. The new law was pushed by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who defeated Paladino.
Paladino, a Buffalo developer who lost to Cuomo in 2010, says crime comes from dropouts on the street, a criticism of what he calls the unaddressed failure of city schools. Paladino is at the state Capitol Tuesday to address the organization Turn Albany Upside Down, which says provisions in the new gun measure are unlawful.
Cuomo says new limits on magazine size and banning military-style semiautomatic weapons are common sense measures to reduce gun violence.
A group called One Million Moms for Gun Control says its New York chapters rallied inside the Capitol and visited lawmakers to show support for the state's "leadership on common-sense gun regulation."
Kim Russell told Kenyon, "I'm hoping what New York has done serves as a model for the rest of the country. I think it's fantastic and courageous that Cuomo acted so quickly to get this passed."
(Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.)
