ALBANY — The public may never know how many gun owners are complying with a strict law requiring them to register assault-style firearms.
Tuesday is the registration deadline, but authorities say New York’s 2013 law known as the Safe Act doesn’t allow disclosure of how many people sign up.
“A provision in the Safe Act pertaining to confidentiality prevents the State Police from releasing information related to the registration of assault weapons including the number of assault weapons registered,” a police spokesman said via e-mail Monday.
The provision is odd because governments routinely release statistical data dealing with much more sensitive subjects, including child abuse. Some believe the provision was inserted to prevent embarrassing the state and Gov. Andrew Cuomo with the low compliance rate.
One law-enforcement source confirmed that only a fraction of gun owners are following the law, passed in reaction to the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.
Only 3,000 to 5,000 people had signed up as of April 5, according to pro-gun site BearingArms.com.