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NY Gov. Cuomo pushes strict gun-control measures in wake of shootings

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Gov. Cuomo seized the national spotlight yesterday by proposing a sweeping gun-control package that calls for a strict ban on assault weapons and stiffer jail time for illegal gun use.

“Stop the madness,” Cuomo said during his third annual State of the State Address. “In a word, enough!”

Cuomo’s gun-control campaign comes on the heels of last month’s Newtown, Conn., school massacre, the deadly ambush of volunteer firefighters in upstate Webster and last week’s shooting of three NYPD officers in one night.

The killers in Newtown and Webster, as well as in the Aurora, Colo., movie-theater massacre in July, all used the same kind of of .223-caliber AR-15 semiautomatic assault rifle that Cuomo is seeking to ban.

In a poignant moment, Cuomo presented New York state flags to the families of Michael Chiapperini and Tomasz Kaczowka, the two Webster volunteer firefighters killed in the Christmas Eve ambush.

Cuomo, who has generally steered clear of highly charged national issues and avoided alienating conservatives during his first two years in office, is now going all-out for gun control.

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Considered a potential 2016 Democratic candidate for president, Cuomo wants New York to become the first state in the nation to pass comprehensive gun-control laws in the wake of the latest shootings — and he’s pushing hard to have his reforms in place before President Obama rolls out a package of federal gun-control proposals later this month.

“Passing sensible gun control can make New York safe . . . This is New York. We can show the nation how we lead.”

Cuomo’s plan, if approved by the Legislature, would:

* Ban civilian sale of assault weapons and eliminate large-capacity magazines regardless of when they were manufactured. He said New York’s current law exempts assault rifles made before 1994.

* Require background checks for sales of guns between private people, not just from dealers or gun shows.

* Boost penalties and jail time for those who illegally buy guns, for those who use guns on school property and for those engaged in violent and gang-related activity.

* Allow law enforcement to confiscate guns from an owner when a mental-health professional issues a report to police that determines that the person is dangerous.

Cuomo ignited a backlash from gun owners in a radio interview last month when he talked about tightening the state’s assault-rifle ban and even suggested, “Confiscation could be an option.”

The governor quickly backed off confiscation — except when it comes to the mentally ill who are considered to be dangerous. Details of how a person’s risk would be determined were not provided yesterday.

Gun-rights advocates quickly pounced, saying much of Cuomo’s plan to restrict the sale and ownership of assault rifles is more style than substance aimed at a political audience. Most of New York’s murders, they point out, result from illegal handguns, not assault rifles.

Five people were killed with assault rifles in New York state in 2011, according to the Division of Criminal Justice Services. Meanwhile, 397 were killed by handguns and 161 by knives.

“It’s a crime and mental-health issue rather than a gun issue. Put people in jail,” said Tom King, head of the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, and an NRA board member.

“The governor is sincere but mistaken. A ban on assault weapons and magazine clips is not going to make people safer.”

King said he supports tougher penalties on gun-related crimes and keeping guns away from mentally unstable citizens — though he said he wanted to see the details on how that would work.

But Cuomo’s plan was hailed by Mayor Bloomberg and other gun-control advocates.

“New York state has led the nation with strong, common-sense gun laws, and the governor’s new proposals will build on that tradition,” Bloomberg said.

Cuomo was hopeful that he would soon reach agreement with the Legislature on the gun-control package. Talks between the governor and legislative leaders were expected to continue last night.

Senate Republican leader Dean Skelos said he was having “very good” and “fruitful” discussions with Cuomo.

“We’re considering everything that the governor is proposing. When you negotiate, you also have to have a balance. The root cause of most of the handgun crimes in this state are by illegal handguns,” Skelos said.

The fact that Cuomo included tougher penalties for gun-related crimes has helped bring Republicans, who have blocked gun curbs in the past, to the negotiating table.