Dinkins Gets Way on Bill For Gun Ban
By Felicia R. Lee
July 17, 1991
The leadership of the New York City Council, giving in to Mayor David N. Dinkins after months of wrangling, said yesterday that they would pass a ban on assault rifles with penalties even tougher than the ones the Mayor had sought.
Apparently succumbing to a barrage of negative publicity in a city buffeted by murders and other crimes committed by people with guns, the Council leadership also seemed to be trying to show that they were tough on crime and not beholden to the powerful gun lobby.
The final bill would stiffen criminal penalties for the sale and possession of assault weapons. The Council committee's bill calls for a fine of $5,000, compared with the $1,000 the Mayor's bill had proposed. The penalties would also include a jail sentence of up to one year and civil penalties of up to $10,000. Hearing Last Week
The disclosure yesterday by Council members came less than a week after the Councilman sponsoring the bill made a highly unusual, last-minute maneuver to delay its consideration. That move angered Mr. Dinkins, who had requested the legislation back in January.
The bill's sponsor, Councilman Joseph F. Lisa of Queens, made his request to delay consideration two hours after hundreds of people opposed to gun regulation filled the City Council Chambers with hisses and boos at a Public Safety Committee hearing on the bill last Tuesday. Council members promised at the time to return with an assault weapons bill. The committee is expected to pass the bill that has emerged when it meets a week from today.
And although Council members had said they were considering a "grandfather" clause exempting longtime owners from having to turn in weapons, that provision was struck from the current bill. 6-Month Grace Bill
The spokesman for Mr. Dinkins, Leland T. Jones, said yesterday that he believed Council members had decided to respond to the public by passing a gun bill. He said that the administration was pleased that they agreed with the Mayor's objection to a grandfather clause.
The bill, in a nod to the concerns of legitimate gun owners, would have a six-month grace period for gun owners after it becomes law. The Police Commissioner would also be required to notify registered owners of the new law.
The administration and the Council's Committee on Public Safety had also been mired in a dispute over the definition of an assault weapon.
A Council member who is helping shape the bill's final language said that "a more precise definition" of assault weapons would be part of the final legislation.
A three-part definition of an assault weapon in the Mayor's bill includes "any semiautomatic centerfire or rimfire or semiautomatic shotgun" having one or more features like a barrel shroud, bayonet mount or other feature that the police commissioner determines to be suitable for military rather than sporting purposes.
After the bill is passed in committee, the Mayor is expected to issue a "message of necessity" to allow the full Council to vote on the bill at its July 30 meeting. The Mayor then has 30 days to sign it into law.
Yesterday's agreement between the Council and the administration could been viewed as a victory for both sides. The Mayor got the weapons bill he wanted -- largely symbolic since most weapons used in crimes are illegal -- and the Council had a chance to show that it was not soft on crime.
"There was never a question of the Council passing a bill," a Councilman who spoke on the condition of anonynmity said yesterday. "There was never a question of lobbying by the N.R.A. or contributions."
"This has been before the State Legislature for years. There were substantive questions raised. A legislature needs time to consider issues."
The Councilman said that although the overwhelming majority of owners of registered long guns, including assault weapons, are law abiding, some do commit crimes. He said that in 1990, according to police statistics, there were 645 crimes including murder, robbery and rape committed by holders of registered long guns.
According to the Police Department, there are 2,163 assault rifles registered to 1,532 people. Federal officials estimate that there are thousands more in the city illegally, and about a total of one million illegal semiautomatic weapons in the nation.
https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/17/nyregion/d...n-ban.html
By Felicia R. Lee
July 17, 1991
The leadership of the New York City Council, giving in to Mayor David N. Dinkins after months of wrangling, said yesterday that they would pass a ban on assault rifles with penalties even tougher than the ones the Mayor had sought.
Apparently succumbing to a barrage of negative publicity in a city buffeted by murders and other crimes committed by people with guns, the Council leadership also seemed to be trying to show that they were tough on crime and not beholden to the powerful gun lobby.
The final bill would stiffen criminal penalties for the sale and possession of assault weapons. The Council committee's bill calls for a fine of $5,000, compared with the $1,000 the Mayor's bill had proposed. The penalties would also include a jail sentence of up to one year and civil penalties of up to $10,000. Hearing Last Week
The disclosure yesterday by Council members came less than a week after the Councilman sponsoring the bill made a highly unusual, last-minute maneuver to delay its consideration. That move angered Mr. Dinkins, who had requested the legislation back in January.
The bill's sponsor, Councilman Joseph F. Lisa of Queens, made his request to delay consideration two hours after hundreds of people opposed to gun regulation filled the City Council Chambers with hisses and boos at a Public Safety Committee hearing on the bill last Tuesday. Council members promised at the time to return with an assault weapons bill. The committee is expected to pass the bill that has emerged when it meets a week from today.
And although Council members had said they were considering a "grandfather" clause exempting longtime owners from having to turn in weapons, that provision was struck from the current bill. 6-Month Grace Bill
The spokesman for Mr. Dinkins, Leland T. Jones, said yesterday that he believed Council members had decided to respond to the public by passing a gun bill. He said that the administration was pleased that they agreed with the Mayor's objection to a grandfather clause.
The bill, in a nod to the concerns of legitimate gun owners, would have a six-month grace period for gun owners after it becomes law. The Police Commissioner would also be required to notify registered owners of the new law.
The administration and the Council's Committee on Public Safety had also been mired in a dispute over the definition of an assault weapon.
A Council member who is helping shape the bill's final language said that "a more precise definition" of assault weapons would be part of the final legislation.
A three-part definition of an assault weapon in the Mayor's bill includes "any semiautomatic centerfire or rimfire or semiautomatic shotgun" having one or more features like a barrel shroud, bayonet mount or other feature that the police commissioner determines to be suitable for military rather than sporting purposes.
After the bill is passed in committee, the Mayor is expected to issue a "message of necessity" to allow the full Council to vote on the bill at its July 30 meeting. The Mayor then has 30 days to sign it into law.
Yesterday's agreement between the Council and the administration could been viewed as a victory for both sides. The Mayor got the weapons bill he wanted -- largely symbolic since most weapons used in crimes are illegal -- and the Council had a chance to show that it was not soft on crime.
"There was never a question of the Council passing a bill," a Councilman who spoke on the condition of anonynmity said yesterday. "There was never a question of lobbying by the N.R.A. or contributions."
"This has been before the State Legislature for years. There were substantive questions raised. A legislature needs time to consider issues."
The Councilman said that although the overwhelming majority of owners of registered long guns, including assault weapons, are law abiding, some do commit crimes. He said that in 1990, according to police statistics, there were 645 crimes including murder, robbery and rape committed by holders of registered long guns.
According to the Police Department, there are 2,163 assault rifles registered to 1,532 people. Federal officials estimate that there are thousands more in the city illegally, and about a total of one million illegal semiautomatic weapons in the nation.
https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/17/nyregion/d...n-ban.html
