Newsday: Bill would track out-of-state guns used in NY crimes

Michael Gormley

April 30, 2018

Originally published in Newsday

ALBANY – A proposal introduced Monday would target a common concern shared by both sides of the contentious gun control issue by tracking illegal firearms that enter New York and are involved in crimes.

The bill from Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Queens) seeks to create a public database that would continuously track the state and county of origin of guns used in crimes in New York. The bill takes aim at “the iron pipeline” that police say enables guns purchased in southern states — ones with far less stringent gun controls than New York’s — to be transported across state lines and used in crimes in the north.

“There is an increased national energy in efforts to curtail gun violence,” Gianaris said in an interview. “This will help inform and educate as to how to focus that effort.”