Rep. Chris Collins (R-NY) introduced legislation Monday aimed at nullifying state-level gun controls that exceed gun controls put in place by the federal government.
New York’s SAFE Act (2013) is a prime example of the kind of gun control Collins hopes to erase.
WKBW reports Collins’ bill is titled the Second Amendment Guarantee Act (SAGA), and its language explicitly “[limits] the authority of states to regulate conduct, or impose penalties or taxes in relation to rifles or shotguns.” It is designed to catch laws that go beyond federal statutes and render them void.
According to the Buffalo News, Collins described SAGA, saying, “This legislation would protect the Second Amendment rights of New Yorkers that were unjustly taken away by Andrew Cuomo. I am a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment and have fought against all efforts to condemn these rights. I stand with the law-abiding citizens of this state that have been outraged by the SAFE Act and voice my commitment to roll back these regulations.”
Breitbart News reported that the SAFE Act was signed in the wake of the heinous attack on Sandy Hook Elementary. It is a package of gun controls that include firearm registration, an “assault rifles” ban, a “high capacity” magazine ban, and an expansion of background checks. None of these laws would have prevented the attack on Sandy Hook, as the key component of the attack was not the weapon used but the amount of time the attacker had before he faced armed resistance.
The Sandy Hook Advisory Commission Report—which was issued to Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy (D) after the attack—shows that the attacker arrived at the school “shortly before 9:30 a.m.” and the first police on scene arrived at 9:39. This means the attacker had over nine unimpeded minutes to shoot and kill without facing any armed resistance in gun-free Sandy Hook. It also means that he could have taken in a 5-shot revolver and two pockets full of bullets and left behind a trail of carnage that would have been unimaginable.
Because the gun-free zone was the integral part of the attack, Collins sees the SAFE Act as an unnecessary burden on law-abiding citizens. His bill would eliminate it and similar legislation in gun control states across this country.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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