BILL NUMBER:  S3199

 TITLE OF BILL :

An act to amend the penal law, in relation to lawful possession of
weapons by persons eleven years of age


 PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL :

To reduce by one year the age at which one may participate in certain
sport shooting safety programs.

 SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS :

Subdivision a. of section 265.20 penal law is amended by adding a new
paragraph 7-f.

 JUSTIFICATION :

Section 265.20(a)(7) Penal Law provides an exemption to a number of
"criminal possession of weapon" statutes, thereby allowing a person
twelve years of age, among others, to possess, load, and fire any
caliber rifle or shotgun when supervised by a certified rifle
instructor or parent at any shooting range. This provision prevents an
eleven-year-old, the age at which one may join the Boy Scouts, from
              

participating in the shooting program offered at camp.

This bill would not allow an eleven-year-old to possess any rifle or
shotgun, but instead is limited to a single shot .22 caliber rifle.
This bill would also not allow such possession to occur at any
shooting range, but rather is limited to those that adhere to the
strict layout and operating standards established by the National
Council of Boy Scouts of America. These include range layouts
regarding backstops, firing lanes, and equipment storage and a limit
of no more then eight shooters supervised by one instructor, among
other standards. Finally, unlike current law, an untrained parent or
guardian may not provide supervision. Rather, supervision and
instruction is limited to only certain adults who are certified by the
military, the NRA or the Boy Scouts as a rifle instructor.

The Boy Scouts of America maintains that the key to firearm safety is
education and training, such as that provided by its shooting program.
Strict safety and other operating standards have made the Boy Scouts
program among the safest in the country.

This bill is introduced at the request of the Allegheny Highlands
Council, Inc. of the Boy Scouts of America.

 PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

Formerly A-2579 of 2008, died in Codes Committee

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

This legislation has no fiscal implications.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeeding
the date on which it shall have become a law.